The new girl in town
by Lalapaya
Summary: Ashley returned to her home, Mystic Falls, but things have changed. Will she be able to find peace?
1. Prologue

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Prologue**

Oh well. This would definitely be fun. First day back in Mystic Falls and late for school. Ashley was rushing through Mystic Falls' streets at high speed only to suddenly see the blinking blue lights behind her. She sighed and stopped her car, only half a mile before the school parking lot. Sheriff Forbes appeared next to her window and peeked into it.

"Well, so young and that fast? You young lads need to have more driving lessons before you get your licences!"

Ashley turned for her purse and rolled her eyes. When she turned back she smiled her sweetest smile and handed her papers to the Sheriff.

"I am terribly sorry, but it is my first day and I am late for school. I just moved in with my aunt and I have to finish my senior year in Mystic Falls' high school!"

Sheriff Forbes suddenly had an understanding face and smiled down at her.

"Well I know how that is, as I have a daughter in your age, who is attending Mystic Falls' High as well! It's Caroline Forbes when you meet her! Here are your papers. And could it be that I know your relatives who were a founding family?"

Ashley sighed inwardly as she was sure to hear that very often, now that she was back.

"Well not exactly, because the Walden's were just a side part of the Lockwood's family tree. But now I definitely have to go! School's waiting!"

"Sure. Have a nice day, and next time, drive slower!"

Ashley nodded and drove off. When she parked her car she already saw all the students heading for the main building as it was nearly nine. She was happy that she checked all the organisatorial stuff yesterday so that she hadn't got to come late to class.

When she entered her class room, she wasn't the last one to arrive so she looked for an empty chair and slumped down. Now she had a good look around class and saw some familiar faces even though she hadn't been in Mystic Falls for years. Suddenly she felt a gaze in her neck and turned round. She caught an awesome hot guy staring at her, with a puzzled look on his face, as if he knew her. She wasn't sure where to put him but she definitely knew him. Suddenly his concentration was ended when a good looking, brown haired girl came in and sat down next to him while giving him a kiss. Ashley turned round, not wanting to be rude. But she definitely tried to listen to their conversation, maybe catching a name to that handsome face she couldn't get out of her mind all day.

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><p><strong>I know, it's not much, but continue to Chapter 1, hopefully you'll enjoy it. Please review!<strong>


	2. Making new friends

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

When she stopped by the Grill that night, she sat down at the bar and ordered a cocktail. Even though she told everyone to be 18, she looked a little older and therefore she never needed to give her ID card. Suddenly the door opened and as she felt the cool breeze she didn't turn around as she could feel the hot boy from school coming in, but being accompanied by his girlfriend. A minute later, he suddenly stood next to her.

"Hey you. You're the new girl from school, right?" he asked her, sitting down next to her.

She inwardly rolled her eyes, as he sounded exactly like every other high school boy. She thought he would be different.

"Well, yes, my name is Ashley."

And suddenly something changed. He really made a small bow, or it seemed as he did, and looked her deep in the eyes, just like an old-school gentleman.

"My name is Stefan, Stefan Salvatore." He took her hand and kissed it. With that he noticed the ring on her middle finger.

"Nice ring, is that lapis lazuli?" Ashley just nodded and mumbled an excuse to go to the bathroom.

When she stood at the sink, she stared at herself in the mirror.

_'Stefan Salvatore? How is that even possible?'_ she thought to herself. She saw him getting killed in 1864. And how likely is it that Salvatore is a name that occurs a second time? She splashed herself with a little water when the door opened. That girlfriend of Stefan's got in.

For the first time, she looked directly at her and she nearly tripped over her own feet while stumbling away, her eyes widening in horror.

"What…how…why are you here?" Ashley was able to bring out. The girl looked at her quizzically.

"I am sorry but I just wanted to go to the bathroom. I am Elena Gilbert and I think you're new in my class! Is everything all right? You look so pale!"

"Your name is Elena? Wow, I am sorry but I did mistake you for someone else! I'm sorry!" Ashley left and took her seat at the bar, happy to see that Stefan was gone. When she heard Elena returning from the bathroom and sitting down at a table next to Stefan, she couldn't but listen to their conversation.

"_You can't imagine what happened as I talked to the new girl at the bar! I told her my name and she totally freaked out and made a head start for the bathroom!" _Stefan said while shaking his head.

"_Really? I met her in the bathroom and she totally freaked as she saw me and she stumbled something like why I'm here. I really think she"_ now she dropped her voice to a low whisper _"mistaked me for Katherine!"_ Ashley gulped down her drink and left the bar. How could this Elena girl know about Katherine? And why the hell did she look like her? That's technically impossible!

She decided to take a walk around the city to get her head free. When she didn't look where she was going, she suddenly found herself at the old Salvatore boarding house. She looked at it and was amazed by its glory which it hadn't lost in all those years. When she was turning around to leave, she heard the front door opening. Sure, Stefan would live in his family's building. But it wasn't Stefan who was at the door, it was a very hot, very handsome guy, with dark hair and dark clothes. When he came nearer she could see the resemblance between the two guys. The handsome one came to a halt in front of her and smiled a nice crooked smile.

"Hello, may I help you? I am Damon Salvatore..."

"Well I definitely knew you would say Salvatore! I met your brother at the Grill" She added when he looked at her questioningly.  
>"Oh. You met the nice one" he said with a sly smile.<p>

"Really?" she asked in a flirty voice.

"Well tonight I am not really in the mood for talking so…" he looked her directly in the eyes when continuing talking. "You don't have to be afraid…"

"Why do you think I am afraid?" she asked slowly, getting completely lost in his great dark eyes.

"I just wanted to prepare you for this" he lunged for her throat and in an instant she went into fighting mode. She turned him around and shot him forward until he was pressed against the front door with her arm in his neck.

"Don't try that again, or you'll be sorry!" she sneered while baring her fangs.

"You're a vampire?" He hissed while turning around.

"Yes. And you are a vampire? How is that possible?" Ashley asked while letting him go, still secretly admiring his eyes.

"I've been a vampire for over hundred years now!"

"I saw you die in 1864. I've attended your funeral! How could you possibly be a vampire? Oh my god, it was Katherine, right?" Ashley asked with understanding and stepping away from Damon.

"Of course it was Katherine. But who the hell are you? You were here in 1864?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"Of course I was. I'm a cousin of the Lockwood's. Well by now, I'd be a cousin of Tyler's." she replied with a sly smile.

"So you just come back here a hundred and forty-seven years and pretend to be a family member and new girl in town?"

"You're the one to talk! At least I pretend to finish senior year, but you? You just live here and get on everyone's nerves?" Ashley said, getting slightly annoyed at him while still looking into his gorgeous dark eyes.

"How could I pretend to finish school when I look like I'm in my middle twenties?" Damon said with an arrogant smile.

"I don't look like eighteen either but I just tell everyone I had missed two years in school while travelling with my now dead mom. So there's the explanation for my looks plus I get all the pity for being an orphan. No problems there, see?" Ashley said on purpose and she could see how his interest grew. He really was hot.

"Well then you technically are already over twenty. Fancy a drink with me, someday?" He said while stepping nearer to her again.

"I would love to grab a drink with you someday." She smiled up at him flirtingly.

"Well then that's settled. I'll pick you up on Friday, so you don't get problems with school" he said while smiling back at her.

"I'm staying at the Lockwood's place" she replied while turning around heading home, with a better mood than before.

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><p><strong>What do you think so far? Please review!<strong>


	3. Family's a blessing or a curse?

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 2**

"I'm leaving!" Ashley called into the very big Lockwood mansion. Tyler grunted his approval from the living room's couch without taking further notice. Suddenly, Mrs Lockwood entered the entrance hall from the kitchen. Ashley inwardly rolled her eyes, she had hoped that that would not happen.

"Where are you going, sweetheart?" Since Mr Lockwood had died, and Ashley had returned to live with them, Mrs Lockwood had adopted her like a daughter and in some ways Ashley could understand that, the way Tyler was behaving.

"I'm just going to the Grill, grabbing a drink with some friends!"

"Well then, have a nice evening! Wait a moment, do you want to take Tyler with you? He hasn't been out in weeks!" She said the second part low as a whisper. Ashley sighed silently because she knew why Tyler wouldn't go out. Since he became a werewolf, he had turned off all his social relationships. She was glad he didn't know what she was.

"Well, I don't think that he would like the people I hang out with" Ashley replied with a slight smile.

"Who are you going with?" Mrs Lockwood asked innocently. At that moment the doorbell rang. Ashley had hoped desperately, that she would have been long gone by now. Mrs Lockwood opened the door just to give a surprised look at the person standing at the door.

"Damon? Nice to see you! What are you doing here?" she opened the door wider so that Ashley could see Damon as well. She took him in wearing his gorgeous black leather jacket that fitted him like a second skin and his black pants which made him look darker and more dangerous. She could see his eyes wander down her body as well, what she could understand as she wore her long blond hair in soft, big curls and her dark blue skinny jeans with the black glitter high heels and her favourite polo shirt with her black leather jacket and her little purse.

"Hello Carol. Nice to see you, too. I am just picking up Ashley to go to the Grill."

Mrs Lockwood turned round to throw a smile at Ashley.

"Well then I wish you two a nice evening and I trust you, Damon, to bring Ashley back in time!"

"Well, Carol, of course we will see how the evening goes but would you mind if she came home like tomorrow? Of course, I won't let her out of my sight for a minute." He added with a small bow. Mrs Lockwood started to giggle before waving goodbye and returning to the kitchen.

Ashley rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. Damon laughed and went to his car to open the passenger door for her before getting into the driver's seat.

As they entered the Grill, Ashley had the slight feeling that Stefan would be there as well. And of course he had that Elena girl with him. But, as Ashley soon discovered, Damon had no intentions to join his brother at his table where two other girls and two other guys were sitting with them. They took a seat at the bar and Damon ordered their drinks. Then he turned round to face the whole bar.

"Hey Damon, who are the people at your brother's table?"

"Well you know Elena for sure, that blond girl next to her is Caroline, she is a vampire, but very young. That guy next to her is her boyfriend, Elena's ex but I can't bother remembering his name. The other guy is Elena's brother, Jeremy, and that brown haired girl is his new girlfriend and Elena's best friend, Bonnie. But I think they all don't really like me" he added with a smirk at Ashley. Ashley turned to face him and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"How is it even possible that Elena looks exactly like Katherine? I thought I get a heart attack when I first saw her."

Damon suddenly had a bad look on his face, but Ashley showed genuine interest.

"She is her doppelganger." Ashley gulped down her drink and ordered another one. "But let us not talk about THAT tonight. Let's talk about you. I can't even remember you from back then." He said while looking at her and taking a sip from his drink.

Ashley smirked and looked deeply into his eyes.

"No wonder you don't remember me. Your brother and you were head over heels into Katherine. But who could blame you, she was the new girl in town and everyone is interested in a new girl especially when she is as mysterious as Katherine was." Ashley remembered the times with a slight throb in her heart. She always had had a crush on Damon.

"Well I would certainly have remembered a good-looking girl in her twenties, let alone a vampire girl!" Damon said in a very flirty voice and she had the slight feeling that he was now sorry for being obsessed with Katherine in 1864.

"Well I hadn't had a lapis lazuli ring back then, so I wasn't able to be out by day. That was the reason you wouldn't remember me being at any garden parties. When Katherine came I could convince Emily to make me a ring. But I had to promise to Katherine, that I wouldn't come into her way and that I have to stay hidden. She was a powerful vampire back then and I didn't want to have trouble with anyone as the whole town was getting on the idea of vampires being around. I left town before Jonathan Gilbert invented his machine."  
>Damon looked at her and saw the hurt in her eyes as she remembered the times. He could certainly understand that as he knew how it was to have to cope with being a vampire without anyone else. He was glad that he had his brother to this times even though he would never tell anyone. Also, he was lucky having a lapis lazuli ring from the beginning.<p>

She smiled with her last words, but he saw it was a sad smile so he suddenly had the urgent feeling to touch her, to comfort her. But before this feeling could overwhelm him, he caught his name in the conversation on Stefan's table.

Ashley caught the words as well.

'_Damon's here with that new girl?_' that brown-haired girl, Bonnie, said.

'_I tried to talk to her but as soon as I told her my name she ran off_' Stefan added with an attempt not to look at her.

'_She mistaked me for Katherine_' Elena whispered.

Ashley turned back to face the barman and ordered another drink. Damon turned to her and smirked.

"They don't have anything better to talk about I guess. And we definitely give them a pretty interesting topic to discuss."

Suddenly, Ashley caught the words of Elena's little brother. '_Who is she?_' '_I know her somehow but I don't know where from_' Stefan added while thinking hard.

Ashley stirred on her seat, she was uncomfortable when people talked about her like that.

Damon must have gotten that because he put some notes on the table and stood up. He offered Ashley a hand.

"Shall we go somewhere less crowded?" he asked with his handsome smile.

"I would love to" she replied and took his hand. When they left, Damon put a hand around her shoulders and she felt every single gaze on her back. Now she had to smile. Damon surely was very handsome company.

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><p><strong>How's it going? Is it getting better or worse? Please review!<strong>


	4. You don't want to be my foe

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 3**

Ashley woke up the following morning with a smile on her face. The evening had ended far better than it had started. Damon and she would have gone to his place and would have talked half the night. Stefan didn't return home so he obviously stayed at Elena's. Damon didn't attempt to make her stay so she asked him to drive him home and he didn't even insist on his good-night-kiss, which she hadn't been ready for.

But she had loved how he told her stories about his life and what he had seen. She had seen a lot herself but she was happy to be back home, or at least the place where she felt home.

When she came down, Mrs Lockwood was busy preparing breakfast for what seemed like tons of people.

"Morning Carol. Wow, who is coming for breakfast?" Ashley said when she entered the kitchen.

Mrs Lockwood looked up. "Morning dear. Well just us three but I thought as I have to be at the mayor's office tomorrow, we could have our big Sunday morning breakfast today!"

"You have to be at the mayor's office on Sunday?" She asked while taking a bowl of fruits and started eating some.

"Well, yes, there is this big celebration party next Friday, you know, the Forbes family's arrival is now 170 years and as we have our special celebration year, we have a party nearly every other week." She added with a weak smile. She certainly wasn't made for that job. She would do it well, that was for sure, but she wasn't used to all the pressure lying on her shoulders and with the "vampire problems" Damon told her about yesterday.

"But enough of that. How was last night with dear Mr Salvatore?" Mrs Lockwood asked with a genuine interested smile.

"Well it was, very nice, indeed. From what I heard about him I was a little suspicious but he was a gentleman over all and he drove me home when I asked him to. I would never have guessed that he is so nice."

Mrs Lockwood smiled down at her as if she was her daughter.

"Well Damon is a very nice young man, indeed. He helped me a lot of times with our little, uhm, problem. And Sheriff Forbes likes him a lot, too!"

Ashley knew exactly what Mrs Lockwood was talking about, but she didn't want to draw any suspicions onto her so she pretended to be a teenager and not interested in that at all.

Suddenly, her iPhone made a small sound and when she looked at it, she had to smile. It was a message from Damon.

_Morning. Fancy__ a walk? Could show you the cit x –D_

"May I guess who that was?" Mrs Lockwood smiled. Ashley had to smile while she texted back.

_Sure thing. Catch up with u the park. __x, Ash_

"It was Damon. He wants to show me the city" Ashley said while looking at her phone, smiling. Mrs Lockwood saw that and had to smile.

"Then go ahead, my dear! The days are getting warmer and you want to enjoy yourself. But keep your phone turned on, and in any case call me!"

Ashley smiled a broad smile. "Thank you, Carol. I'm sure Tyler will have breakfast with you!" Ashley smiled once again and sending a telepathic order to Tyler's room without anyone noticing. Moments later Tyler came down the stairs, not knowing what was happening. Mrs Lockwood smiled broadly, she hadn't imagined that Tyler would spend time with her.

Ashley laughed inwardly and stepped out of the front door. When she left the Lockwood's land property, she saw a small figure walking up to her. She stopped and saw that blond girl from Elena's table stopping in front of her.

"Hey. You're the new girl, Ashley, right?" the girl asked her.

"Yes. What do you want?" Ashley simply was not in the mood to talk. She remember Damon telling her, that the girl was a vampire, a new one. Ashley could sense how mighty that girl felt even though Ashley herself could bury her into the asphalt in an instant. But she didn't want to spoil anything because that girl obviously didn't see that Ashley was a vampire.

"I am Caroline Forbes, the sheriff's daughter. I just wanted to get to know you and to tell you something."

"Well, my name is Ashley Walden and I really don't have any time. I have an appointment."

"An appointment? You call a date with Damon Salvatore an appointment?" Caroline was laughing now. Ashley rolled her eyes and took a step nearer.

"Can you tell me now what you want or leave me alone."

"Well, well, in your position I wouldn't be that forcing! I have all the important people behind me in this city." She added after a small pause, she didn't want to spoil the effect of telling she was a vampire. Ashley smiled softly.

"I am sorry. But as you already know, I am meeting Damon. So is this really that important?" she tried to sound and look innocent.

"Yes. Just so you know, Damon is not, what he tells you he is." "Stop a moment there. How do you know what Damon tells me and what he does not?" Ashley was getting seriously annoyed now.

"I know that because he did the same thing with me someday. I seriously was into him because, no matter what anyone says, he definitely is hot."

"You had something with Damon?" Ashley couldn't believe what was happening now.

"Yes. We went out a couple of months and he used me. What comes now, is nothing for your ears so I have to erase your memory afterwards. But the feeling that Damon is dangerous territory will stay. He is a vampire."

As Ashley didn't react, Caroline was baffled.

"Did you just hear what I told you? Damon Salvatore is a vampire. So is his brother, Stefan. And I am one too!"

"I heard exactly what you said. But should it bother me?" Ashley just shrugged.

"Well then, get on with it." Caroline looked Ashley deep into the eyes and talked slowly and quietly. "You won´t remember what I just told you about vampires, you will just remember that Damon Salvatore is dangerous and that you have to stay away from him." Ashley blinked and Caroline was stunned. "Why didn't you- do you have vervain with you?"

Ashley was annoyed. "No, you stupid girl. I am a vampire." She bared her fangs with that words. "And a very powerful, too. I wouldn't get anywhere near me again." She stepped nearer to Caroline and hissed the last words quietly. Caroline was obviously very afraid. "Don't interfere with my business again. I am over five hundred years old. Let my business be my business. And don't tell me anything about Damon and Stefan Salvatore. I know them since 1864 so keep away from them and me!"

She stepped away and didn't turn around but she felt Caroline's gaze in her back and smiled a broad smile. It was fun frightening people who were a lot weaker than herself.

When she reached the park Damon was already waiting for her, leaning onto his car and looking completely gorgeous in his black trousers and his black chemise. He stepped away from his black Porsche and smiled at Ashley.

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><p><strong>So, my last chapter so far. What do you think? Should I continue? Please review!<strong>


	5. Revelations

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 4**

Ashley took a good look at Damon leaning casually at the side of his black porsche. She smiled broadly and stepped near to him.

„Hey Damon" she said while hugging him. He smelled so damn good! „Hey sweetheart" Damon answered while leaning over and kissing her cheek. If Ashley wouldn't have been a vampire, she certainly would have blushed.

"You still fancy a walk or do you want to do something else?" He asked while turning around and tugging he with him.

"It's such a nice day I would love to get a cup of coffee and sit down in the grass." "Alright, so coffee will it be" Damon smiled and took her hand, crossing the street and going into a coffee bar next to the Grill.

They entered the coffee bar and stepped over to the counter. Damon ordered two coffees to go when the door opened. Damon turned around and his face went hard. A handsome man in his thirties had entered the coffee shop and was walking up to them.

"Alaric." Damon hissed through closed teeth. "Damon" the man, Alaric, answered, not less disgusted. Then his eyes fell on Ashley and his eyes grew big. He caught himself pretty fast and offered his hand.

"I think we haven't officially met. Alaric Saltzman, history teacher at Mystic Falls High"

"Ashley Walden, I am a new student at Mystic High. I think you are assigned as my teacher but I didn't have had any lessons so far." She said with a smile while shaking Alaric's hand. "You two know each other?" Ashley asked innocently looking from Alaric to Damon. They answered in unison.

"We've met." If looks could kill.

"And why do you enjoy Mister Salvatore's company?" Alaric asked, not as innocent as he would have wanted to sound.

"He was so kind to show me the city as I am new around here" Ashley lied without hesitation.

Damon paid for their coffees and took her hand. "Let's go, Ashley. Alaric." Ashley waved goodbye as she saw a dark glimpse in Alaric's eyes as if he tried to remember something. She frowned but as Damon pulled her out of the door and into broad sunlight she forgot about it.

They sat down in the grass on Mystic Fall's main park and Ashley sipped her coffee.

"So what are you up to when you're staying here and not attending school?" she asked while looking at him from the side. Damon seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

Suddenly, he snapped back into reality. "You don't want to know what I am up to" he smiled his sly smile while checking her up and down. She smiled as his eyes took her in for the first time this morning. She wore a short pink mini skirt with a low cut white t-shirt and white flat sandals. Her long blonde hair she wore open and her dark blonde highlights glitter in the sunlight.

"Damon, can I ask you a personal question?" Ashley asked cautiously. Damon eyed her suspiciously while taking a sip from his coffee. "You can ask, but I can't assure you that I will answer" he replied and stiffened a little.

"What happened to you in 1864 after I left Mystic Falls? I couldn't tell you earlier, because I wanted to know of you would remember me. But you obviously didn't. Neither did Stefan when I met him. We were really good friends and you and I even went out a couple of times." Ashley looked down sadly.

"You don't mean that. I wouldn't have forget you! You're the most beautiful girl I saw in the nearly 200 years I am alive. I couldn't place you when you first arrived but I knew that I saw you before." Damon was taken aback, he thought she joked.

"I guess I know what happened back then. Katherine." Ashley said and her expression grew hard. For the first time Damon saw her, she looked a lot like her five hundred year self.

"What could Katherine possibly have done?" "Katherine was a very powerful vampire back then. She fed only on strong human and she didn't only take their blood. She took their life essence which left them lost and weak. That was why she couldn't stay long at one place. She played with you two. At the beginning she was planning on seducing you both and then she was going to suck the life out of you before leaving town. She was sick. She enjoyed hurting humans and toying with them. When we befriended she told me I had to stop seeing you because she had other plans with you. I wouldn't let her do that but she made Emily spell my lapis lazuli ring so that it would no longer work. She promised to take back the spell if I would leave town. So I did. You know, I wanted to live a little bit longer and I never had the feeling to compete with Katherine when she had her mind set on something." Ashley stopped, suddenly too lost in her memories.

"Why do you know so much about Katherine? Didn't you just meet her in 1864 when she came to Mystic Falls?"

"Well, I know her a little bit longer. I am from her Petrova blood line. Katherine Pierce is my cousine."

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><p><strong>What do you think? I know, it's a short chapter but I had the feeling of revealing a few news Review and I'll continue!<strong>


	6. You can't change your past

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 5**

„What? You can't be serious!" Damon was raising his eyebrows just as Stefan and Elena stopped next to them.

"Why can't she be serious?"Stefan asked, placing his arm on Elena's shoulders.

"Brother, this is none of your business and now, would you mind stepping away, you're blocking my view of the sun. And I love her so much" Damon said in a mocking voice.

"Damon, don't be such an ass. We just passed by and I wanted to take the opportunity to remind you of the masquerade ball next Friday. It's held at the Lockwood's mansion." Elena said.

"A masquerade ball? Carol told me something about a party but nothing about a ball!" Ashley said while standing up and brushing the grass off her perfect legs. Damon wasn't the only one to notice.

"I am Ashley, by the way. I think the first time we met our start was a little bad. I am sorry about that."

Elena shook her hand. "I am Elena, but I think I already introduced myself to you" she laughed.

"And Stefan, I am sorry about how I reacted when we met. I know you just wanted to be nice." Ashley turned to Stefan and smiled up to him.

Damon also stood and smirked.

"Well my holy brother wouldn't remember an old friend of ours. Not even if she would slap him in the face"

"Damon, what are you talking about?" Stefan asked with a sigh.

"Ask her, she will tell you everything you want to hear. And even a little bit more." Damon was turning slightly annoyed.

"Damon, stop acting like this. I wanted to tell you so that you wouldn't hear it from someone else. Stefan, Elena, as I overheard some of your conversations, it concerns you as well. But let's go to a place where we cannot be overheard."

"Let's go to the boarding house" Stefan and Elena proposed in unison.

When the four of them arrived at the boarding house, Ashley and Damon got out of his black Porsche while Elena and Stefan parked Stefan's red old-timer in the garage.

When they all had settled around the kitchen counter, Ashley started her story from the very beginning.

"My real name is Aisha Petrova. I am the daughter of Katherine's father's brother. Technically, I am 2 years older than her but after more than 500 years, two years don't seem that important anymore. Anyway, back in 1862, I found the nice atmosphere of Mystic Falls very appealing and what was even nicer, was the company of the two young Salvatore brothers. Damon cared a lot about me, Stefan was only 15 years old. But Guiseppe didn't approve of our relationship, because I was already 25 years old. Technically. In reality he had to add 300 and he would have been right. Nevertheless we had a fine time and the three of us developed a nice friendship."

"You mean you had already something going on with Damon 147 years ago and he can't remember? Strange for a man like Damon" Elena said.

"Well, 'something going on' is not entirely true. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, that was why I totally behaved like the girls who were raised in the 1840ies. Which means, I never showed a man so much as my wrist or the glimpse of an ankle. But Damon took me to a lot of parties. But then, 1864 came. And my world was about to go dark."

"Was that when Katherine arrived?" Elena asked. Stefan and Ashley nodded in unison while Damon stood up to pour himself a drink.

"Katherine came to Mystic Falls and immediately set an eye on the two Salvatore brothers. When she noticed that Damon was falling in love with me, but Stefan did indeed had his eyes set on Katherine, she could have given in to Stefan and let us be. But she wanted both of them to herself, for toying.

"You see, Katherine had very powerful companions at that time.

"She not merely had her witch, Emily, but she certainly new some old, strong vampires, and some who would not want to kill her."

Ashley stopped, shaking from her past. Damon gave her a drink and she gulped it down in an instant. Damon poured her another one before she continued.

"When Katherine noticed that Damon would not leave my side willingly, she told her witch to cast a spell on my ring. I then was not able to walk in the day light anymore.

"You see, and that was when the problems started. How should I explain to this handsome and caring young man why I am not able to meet him at our favourite spot at the river? And why I can't leave my chambers during the day? Well, he grew suspicious, and who wouldn't have. So I invented an severe illness, so that no one could visit me. Since Katherine caught me off guard to reappear in my life, I seldom got out to feed so I feared that if Damon visited me, I would kill him."

Ashley gulped down another drink.

"Then, one night, Katherine was at my door. I was furious because she was able to ruin my life so easily. We shouted and fought but in the end, I gave in. Katherine told me that if I left town, the power of my ring would come back. But if I would ever return, she would personally kill me, letting Damon witness it."

Ashley looked down at the table, sadly. "And you left town because you loved Damon that much? That's romantic. I never knew my brother was able to achieve such genuine feelings." Stefan said while nodding appreciating at Damon. "Continue" Elena said.

"I can only guess what happened next.

"Katherine must have compelled you, otherwise Damon would have been furious with me for leaving him but as I came to say goodbye, he didn't know who I was.

"My heart was broken and I left town and never came back. Until now." Ashley stopped because tears were welling up in her eyes.

"I am sorry. It's silly for a strong vampire to cry but even though it is nearly 200 years, I have missed you every single day of my life. I never have met anyone like you" Ashley said while smiling into Damon's face through her tears.

"Well, Ashley, as we're doing revelations here and all…I have to tell you something." Stefan suddenly shot an dark and warning glare at Damon and Elena looked panicked.

"What's up, you can tell me everything Damon. Now that I have you back…" Ashley said, smiling warm.

"It's about Katherine. You remember the great cleansing in 1864? Right after you left? Well, Katherine had a deal with Mayor Lockwood in 1864. When alle the vampires where locked in the tomb under the church, so they could be burned down they were merely locked into be resurrected some time."

Ashley's face grew hard and old.

"You don't want to tell me, my cousin is down there under the church of Mystic Falls?"

Damon grew silent. Stefan had to take all his courage and let the bomb explode.

"No. We checked for her. She never has been in the tomb."

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><p><strong>What do you think? Please review and I'll update!<strong>


	7. Your past is always going to catch up

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 6**

Ashley was slowly waking up and thought back to the strange dream she had last night. Damon had told her that her cousin, Katherine was still alive and walking these grounds…wait, that hasn't been a dream at all!

Ashley had been so shocked, she had left the Salvatore's boarding house, leaving Damon with Stefan and Elena to discuss why she would act so weird.

Four days have passed since all those revelations and today would be the big masquerade ball at the Lockwood's, which means her momentarily house, and therefore she would have to attend it.

The last days, she ignored Stefan and Elena at school, she would come into class just as the teacher arrived and would hop off her seat as soon as the bell chimed.

She surely had tons of phone calls from Damon but she had her phone turned off since Monday. She wasn't ready to talk about what happened.

She didn't want to believe that Katherine was still wandering around, and the possibility of meeting her was still there.

The creeping fear and bad feelings she felt for over three hundred years were now back, after two hundred years where Ashley had thought Katherine was gone for good.

She decided to stay at home today to help Carol set the house up and therefore she had an excuse to skip school and plus, she'd had something else to think about. When she and Tyler, he wasn't at home voluntarily, were in the middle of putting gold linen to the windows instead of their normal light yellow curtains, the door bell rang.

"I'll take it" Ashley said and left Tyler grunting to handle the heavy fabriques.

When Ashley opened the door, she only saw a slender figure with long, brown hair behind several big cartons which she tried to balance on her arms, while not dropping her purse and saying hi.

"Elena?" Ashley asked while taking the cartons from her and balancing them without problems with her inhuman strength and leading the way to the living room. There, she plunged he cartons on the floor next to where Tyler was still fumbling with the same curtain.

She ushered him away when Elena entered to help her. Together they put up the fabrique and Elena answered slowly.

"Carol asked me to help you. She thought that Tyler wasn't the best help and-" she broke off and concentrated on the curtain.

"And she thought I needed someone to talk to because I haven't left the house since Monday except for school. Right?" Ashley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. You're right. But tell me," Elena added slowly and carefully, "are you that upset because Damon was looking for Katherine? He already knows that it was a very big mistake by letting all the vampires out of the tomb but he regrets it and he doesn't want to see Katherine again, ever!"

"He only did this because of Katherine?" Ashley exploded, and started striding through the living room. "I was upset because for nearly two hundred years I thought that the worst person of my life was gone, and now I know she is back! But to hear, that the guy who I am in love with for over two hundred years now, wanted to rescue that stupid bitch really makes my day." She plunged down on the sofa and Elena took a seat next to her.

"You don't need to be upset. Damon is really sorry that he did what he did. I think his memories are coming back and-"

"His memories won't come back. Not until the person who compelled him is dead. And now I understand why the two of them didn't remember me. Katherine was alive and sound all those years." Ashley sighed.

"Hey, listen. Damon really is sorry, I don't know how often he said that the last week. I never saw him like that before and you really seemed to made an impression on him. I think he really likes you a lot and if you would go talk to him, I am sure he will tell you the same. And the fact that you are in love with him should help you forget about his mistakes and move on." Elena added, smiling broadly.

"Maybe you're right. I'll talk to him tonight at the party. Let's fix these last curtains up so that we can move on."

Half an hour before the guests were to arrive, Ashley stood in her bathroom and applied some make up. As she would be wearing a golden and silver mask, that would cover half her face, she paid extra attention to her eyes. She applied nice silver and blue blush so that her glittering blue eyes would look two times bigger.

When she put on her dark blue ball gown, which was shoulder free, knee-length in the front and floor-length in the back, with little silver ornaments on the bodice and the hem, Carol knocked and stepped into her room.

"Wow, Ashley, you look amazing. You look just like the girl in that old painting of ours. Would you like to see it?"

"I would love to. Could you just zip me up in the back?" Ashley asked with a smile and Carol came to her side to close up her dress. Carol herself was wearing a dark gold dress witch was more conventional and not that a ball gown, more like a suit. Ashley had her golden blond hair pinned up and some locks floating down her bare shoulders and neck. As she looked into the mirror and onto her neck, she suddenly had a strange flashback.

* * *

><p><em>It was October 1864 and the great Lockwood ball was about to start when a slight knock on her door made her turn and calling "It's open".<em>

_She had to smile when she saw the handsome young man stepping into her room, wearing a tux and bowing in front of her. He stood again and smiled at her, while she was smiling back at him._

"_What do you think?" She asked him, while twirling in front of him in her skirts, her dark pink ball gown floating underneath her. Her neck was bare and her curls were pinned up into a fashionable knot._

"_You look breathtaking, mylady" Damon said while stepping nearer. When he arrived next to her, he drew his hands from behind his back and produced a square black box._

"_Oh Damon, what did you do? You shouldn't have spent so much money on me!" Ashley said while shaking her head slightly._

"_I didn't. It was my mothers before she died." He opened the box and there was lying a beautiful silver necklace, brocade with delicate gems, rubies and sapphires, but so small, that it seemed to be a sea of sparkling stars._

"_It looks like you brought down the stars for me, Damon Salvatore" Ashley said while looking into his eyes. _

"_Turn around, my beautiful angel" She did as she was told and now they were both looking into the mirror, Damon standing behind her._

_He was about to put the necklace around her delicate, marble neck, when suddenly the door burst open and Stefan came in._

"_Sorry to interrupt but Damon, you have to help! A carriage with two young ladies is stranded just outside the properties!" With that he vanished again._

"_Go, sweetheart. Just promise you will take me to the ball tonight!" Ashley said while turning around to face him._

_Damon put the necklace back into the box and put it onto Ashley's counter._

"_I'll finish what I started tonight, right after the ball. Don't worry my angel, I'll be back!" He said while planting a kiss on her cheek before leaving._

_She looked after him, not knowing that his encounter with the "helpless" ladies would change his life forever and that he would never return to this chambers again._

* * *

><p>Back nowadays, Ashley had problems holding back the tears while remembering these days and nearly last time she saw Damon with him remembering her.<p>

She turned away so that Carol wouldn't see her cry.

"So, do you want to see the picture now?" Carol asked.

"Sure, let's go" Ashley said, regaining her strength. When they stepped into the room, all the curtains were drawn close and Carol led Ashley to the corner far away. When she was about to show Ashley the painting, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, the first guests have to be here. Make sure you have a look at the painting!" she added before leaving Ashley alone to the quiet atmosphere of the room full of memories.

When Ashley stepped nearer to the painting and opened the curtains slightly to let the dawning sun in, she gasped. The girl on the painting hadn't just an awful resemblance with herself, it was her, in the dark pink gown on that very night in October 1864.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think so far? Next chapter coming up is the party and some serious surprises are waiting to come up! Please review!<strong>


	8. She's back in town

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 7**

Ashley stood in the small room on the first floor of the Lockwood's mansion, gazing at the painting that showed herself in 1864.

She had tears in her eyes and was glad that Carol had left before.

* * *

><p>"<em>Miss Ashley, are you coming my dear?" Ashley heard her lady-in-waiting calling from outside the door. Clementine poked her head around the door which Damon had left open.<em>

"_The guests are arriving and I know your parents wouldn't approve if you come late."_

_Ashley drew her gaze away from the window where she was looking at the scenery down below. As it was getting dark, she wasn't sure who she was looking at but she saw enough to recognise the slender figures of Damon and Stefan, helping two ladies into the house. It had started to rain, so the women were clutching their hats to their damp hair, and ushered inside._

"_Yes, Clementine, I am coming. Thank you." She left her room without a backward glance, forgetting the necklace on her counter._

* * *

><p>Ashley slowly drew her gaze away from the painting as the voices on the ground floor were getting louder. She stepped onto the stairway when she recognized a familiar voice. She drew a deep breath and started descending the staircase, knowing who would wait for her at the end.<p>

* * *

><p><em>When Ashley stepped down the last stairs smiling, she had hoped to see Damon waiting for her, smiling as well and taking her arm.<em>

_Instead, she saw Stefan standing near the door talking to a young woman. When he heard her approach, he turned round and bowed._

"_Miss Ashley, may I remark that you look astounding tonight."_

"_Thank you, Mr Salvatore." Ashley answered with a smile and a light courtsey._

"_May I introduce you to Miss Emily, she is one of the ladies who got stuck with their carriage in the mud outside the estate." Ashley bowed to Emily and Emily nearly fell down on her knees in her courtsey. Something strange was about that woman, but Ashley couldn't place it right away._

"_Nice to meet you, Emily." She held her hand out for her to take and Emily took it and placed a small kiss on it._

"_The pleasure is mine, mylady. I am the company of my mistress, Miss-" she broke off to look at someone approaching behind Ashley._

_Both Ashley and Stefan turned round to see who was coming their way and Ashley's eyes grew big._

_Damon was walking towards them, with a beautiful dark haired woman laughing at something he said. She looked up to him and put her hand on his forearm, flirtingly. As they stopped in front of them, the young woman looked at Ashley and her smile faded from her face. Ashley drew in a sharp breath and her voice dropped._

"_Katherine."_

* * *

><p>Damon smiled at her, waiting at the last step. He wore a black tux and a black mask, covering his eyes. Still, Ashley could not mistake him and obviously he recognised her, although she was already wearing her big gold-and-silver mask. He held one arm out for her to take and bowed his head.<p>

"Mylady, you look awesome."

"You don't look so bad, yourself" Ashley stated. She took his arm and they stepped into the living room which had been redecorated completely to resemble a ball room. The two of them stepped over to where a couple was standing. The sandy brown-haired guy wore a tux similar to Damon's and a golden mask. The brown haired girl was wearing a dark red baby doll ball gown and a shimmering red mask which vanished partly in her curls.

"Elena, Stefan." Ashley said when they stopped in front of them.

"Wow, Ashley, you look beautiful!" Elena gasped when she saw her beautiful dress. Stefan added with a smile, "You look astounding", using the exact same words as 146 years ago, not knowing how much they hurt Ashley.

"Thank you" she was able to choke out.

"Need a drink? I definitely do!" Damon asked her, and already leading her to the bar. When they had their drinks, they took a look around the room. She saw Elena's brother with a green mask, matching to his girlfriend's, Bonnie, dress. She was wearing a light green mask, matching with his tie. There was that vampire girl, Caroline, in a golden dress, with her date, some blond haired guy wearing a blue mask.

The room was soon filled to its best and the music started. When a slow waltz started, Damon bowed his head to Ashley.

"May I have this dance?" and offered her a hand. Ashley took it gladly and they started swaying and twirling to the music like pros.

* * *

><p><em>Ashley was dancing with a brown haired guy, but she had to glance over his shoulder everytime they turned around so she was able to see Damon chatting with Katherine next to the bar. She was flirting heavily and touching him every time he said something. His eyes were sparkling and Ashley thought the worst. When the song finally ended, Ashley thanked the guy who she didn't even knew, not that she cared, and stepped over to them.<em>

"_Ashley, you looked so sweet with that guy! He seemed like a good dancer" Katherine said with a sly smile. _

"_Thank you, Katherine. Very nice of you. I wanted to borrow Damon for a moment, do you mind?" Katherine knew the good behaviour of that time and so she nodded slightly. Damon and Ashley walked into the next room._

"_What do you wanted to talk to me to, mylady?" Damon asked._

"_I just wanted to warn you. Stay away from Katherine, she is not what she seems to be."_

"_Is she hiding something, just like you?" Damon asked her looking at her which made Ashley stop and look into his eyes._

"_Why do you say that?" She asked him. _

"_It just seemed to me that you are not as happy as you seemed in the beginning. I was starting to wander if I did something wrong?" Damon asked innocently and sincerely. _

"_Damon, you never did anything wrong. You are the best company a girl could wish for herself and-" "Then why do you act so strange? You're here for two years now and since I returned from war you're different."_

_Ashley looked down on the floor, not knowing what to say. She tried to stay away from Damon since he was back from war, because in the two years she had been there, she never changed. Someone was bound to find out and with all the vampires running freely, someone would recognise her as one._

"_I am sorry, Damon. But I can't tell you the truth. It has nothing to do with your behaviour, it is just, my problems are big, and I don't want you to have to bother about them!"_

"_Ashley, I love you. You can tell me whatever you want to. I was planning to ask you to marry me as soon as my birthday is over. Tell me. You can trust me" Damon stated and Ashley could see the hurt in his eyes, that she would not trust him._

"_Damon, I just can't." she sighed and nearly started to cry._

"_I understand. Would you excuse me now?" He turned around and left her to let the tears flow._

* * *

><p>"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" Damon asked while twirling her around, easily manoeuvring her through the couples.<p>

"I'm sorry. Why are you that nice to me, by the way? I abandoned you the whole week!" Ashley asked while looking up into Damon's piercing blue eyes.

"Well, Elena told me how miserable you were and therefore I didn't want to make it worse. But you can tell me everything. You can trust me."

"It's nothing. I just- I want the two of you to remember me."

"Well, if that doesn't work, you have to make us fall in love with you again"

"Just like Katherine? No thank you." The music ended and Ashley stepped out onto the balcony. Damon followed her.

"I am sorry, Ashley that shouldn't have come that way. You're nothing like Katherine, you're the total opposite."

"Then why did you want to resurrect her?" Ashley was asking.

"I- Ashley I don't remember you from back then. If I would have remembered you, it would surely have gone different. Katherine is no longer my interest. You are."

Suddenly a brown haired girl in a blue dress and a big mask stepped onto the balcony.

"Have you two seen Stefan?"

"Nah, sorry, Elena" Ashley said but turning her head away fast. The girl vanished again and she turned her attention back to Damon.

"I am so sorry Damon. I should have not overreact like that. I like you very much, you know? We were very close back then. I've missed you" she stated and leaning closer to him. Damon took her chin into his hand and puller her up on heir tiptoes. They kissed, at first sweet and light, getting stronger, more demanding and passionate with every passing minute. He suddenly put her up and sat her onto the balcony's railing.

* * *

><p><em>Ashley came back from the bathroom where she had tried to dry her eyes. When she stepped back into the great ballroom, she saw the door to the balcony slightly open. She started to walk towards it. Before she would reach it, Stefan stepped closer to her.<em>

"_Miss Ashley, would you fancy a dance?"_

"_Thank you, Mr Salvatore, but I was looking for your brother."_

"_Well, I don't really know where I saw him the last time" he said, obviously playing for time. Ashley pulled open the balcony doors and stepped outside, only to see Damon in a close embrace with Katherine as she was sinking her teeth into his neck in the security of the nights darkness._

_Tears of anger and fear and sadness spilled of Ashley's eyes and she wanted to grab Katherine and rip her heart out but suddenly a strong pair of arms held her back from behind._

"_Stefan, let go of me." Ashley said coldly._

"_I can't Miss Ashley. She told me you'd hurt my brother." Ashley turned to look at Katherine._

"_You compelled him? Why did you do that to Stefan? Let go of Damon, you monster!"_

_But Katherine just smirked and took a nearly lifeless Damon with her when she vanished from the balcony in inhuman speed._

* * *

><p>Suddenly, Ashley drew away from Damon as he was already pinning her down and demanding even more from her.<p>

"Wait, Damon. Didn't Elena wear a red dress when you arrived?"

"Do I look like if I care?" he snuggled into her neck.

"But the girl that looked for Stefan out here wore a blue dress. I couldn't have been Elena! Let's go, come on" She took him by the hand and they ran through the house looking for Elena and Stefan. They found Stefan at the bar, getting himself something to drink.

"What's up you two?" he asked.

"We think Elena's in trouble"

"What?" He smashed his glass onto the counter and turned around. "What are we waiting for?"

"Just the hero. Doesn't even notice that his girlfriend is gone"

"Damon, shut up. Let's help Stefan to look for Elena. I have a very bad feeling about this" Ashley said while frowning.

The three of them suddenly turned their heads when the front door closed with a bang. They raced outside and towards a tree where two dark figures, one hovering above the other, were seen.

"You. Step away from Elena." Ashley told the figure which was standing with their back to them, it was the girl from the balcony in the blue dress.

Elena was lying on the floor, obviously unconscious.

The figure stepped away, turned round and came into clear sight.

"Katherine?" Stefan and Damon gasped.

"Katherine." Ashley stated through gritted teeth.

"Stefan, Damon, nice to see you! Ashley, I never thought you would come back here!" Katherine grinned at them.

"What are you doing here, Katherine?" Ashley said, anger rising in her.

"I don't think that it is anything of your business. You weren't supposed to see me until I wanted to." She turned round and picked up Elena, throwing her like a dozen metres to her left. Stefan raced to catch her, which he did, and he stayed to check if she was still alive.

"So much for the can-only-do-good-brother. I think the other one will not even protest if I kill you. He still is so much in love with me" She laughed at the last words.

Damon was standing still, not able to move or to say anything. He obviously was under a spell.

Ashley couldn't stand it anymore. She raced towards Katherine and pinned her against the tree.

"Keep your fingers off Damon, you evil bitch" she said through clenched teeth.

"You be careful what you do. I told you once, that if you would come back I will kill you and let your beloved witness it. And you of all people should know, that I keep my promises. Always" with the last word she twisted her hand so that the stake she was holding in her hand became visible.

Katherine forced the wood with all her might into Ashley abdomen, who crumbled to the floor, moaning and unable to move. Ashley tried not to wince when Katherine stepped over to her, brushed the mud off her dress and kneeled down next to her.

Then, she whispered in her ear.

"I always get what I want. And right now, I want you out of here. Leave, like you left cowardly the last time or you will regret it. Take that as a warning."

With that, she twisted the stake around in Ashley's stomach and Ashley screamed in pain, clutching her sides as the blood gushed out, colouring the grass a deep red. Katherine stood up, stepped over to Damon who looked helpless, unable to move, and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you again, soon" and then she sped away.

* * *

><p><strong>Things are getting serious now! What do you think? Please review!<strong>


	9. Remembering

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 8**

Ashley was rolling from side to side, struggling to get the stake out of her stomach. Suddenly, Damon snapped out of his trance and raced to her side, kneeling down, not bothering to get mud on his tux.

"Ashley, sweetheart!" He tried to get a grip on the stake to pull it out but Ashley was still moving, causing more blood to gush out of the wound.

"Keep still." He pinned her down with one hand on her shoulder and Ashley couldn't hold back the tears of pain that were now streaming freely down her face. She bit her lip and watched in horror as Damon took his free hand and pulled the stake out with force and tossing it aside.

Ashley cried out in pain and clutched her wound. Damon forced her to take her hands away so that the wound could heal. Ashley could already feel it even though the wound hurt and she wanted to end it so badly.

"Ashley, Damon, what's going on?" Stefan asked when he raced to their side, shortly followed by a now conscious Elena. She looked slightly disorientated and her hair was a mess together with her make up, and her dress.

"Katherine tried to stake her, that's going on!" Damon yelled still holding Ashley's arms down on either side of her, while she was whimpering quietly in his arms. Already the wound was healing.

Suddenly, they heard noise coming from the house. People were approaching them, running and yelling at each other what had happened.

Ashley's screams have had been loud enough for everyone to hear.

"We have to get out of here. Take us to the boarding house" Damon said flatly, still clutching Ashley.

They reached Elena's car and Stefan climbed into the driver's seat, Elena next to him and Damon, carrying a nearly unconscious Ashley and putting her onto his lap in the backseat.

When they reached the boarding house, Damon carried Ashley upstairs and put her onto his bed. He ripped of her dress which was ruined anyway and there was a light knock on the door. Elena poked her head around the door and stepped in.

"I thought you could use a pair of trousers and a fresh tee. She can have it, it's a nightgown anyway." She gave Damon a bundle of clothes.

He smiled at her thankfully and Elena left, quietly closing the door behind her. Damon took his time washing the dried blood from Ashley's now healed wound and then dressed her carefully in Elena's clothes. He tucked her in neatly and then settled down next to her. When she tossed and turned, he took her in his arms and then drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>He was stepping out onto the lawn, neatly dressed in his Sunday's clothes even though it was a hot summer's evening. He was slightly annoyed and brought a hand up to his hair to mess it up, only to be stopped by his father.<em>

"_Don't do that. Our guests are soon to arrive and you have to look your best." Guiseppe Salavatore said to him sternly._

_Damon sighed and looked to his left, where his brother was standing. He was greedy with anticipation and bouncing on his heels._

"_Do you wander how she will look like?" They were informed that a young lady was to visit them, together with her foster parents. _

"_I'm sure she'll look nice. But she wont' be something for you, little brother!" He added with a smile. He loved his brother so much, it hurt him inside to leave his side so soon to go fighting for the war. _

_When the carriage finally appeared in the street, Guiseppe stiffened and Stefan tried to look larger and more earnest that he could with his fifteen years. Damon just looked the other way._

_The carriage came to a halt in front of them and the door was opened._

_An elderly couple stepped out of it and they introduced themselves as the Waldens. Guiseppe led them into the house while Stefan and Damon had to stay and escort the young lady in._

_Suddenly, someone stepped out of the carriage, head bowed not to bump it and clutching her light blue head to her blond curls which were pinned up in a loose knot. She wore a light blue dress with big skirts and heels. When she left the last step, she raised her head and let go of her hat._

_Damon met her eyes and he was stunned. She had piercing blue eyes, similar to his own, just a little lighter where his were icier. She held her gloved hand out to him, and he took it and placed a kiss on it, ever so lightly while never letting her eyes out of sight._

"_Damon Salvatore, nice to make your company, mylady" he said while clicking together his heels and bowing his head slightly._

_She nodded and wanted to introduce herself when her eyes fell on a bouncing Stefan. She smiled and turned to him and offered her hand._

"_Stefan Salvatore, I am your company for tonight" he said shakingly and intimating his brother. Damon had to smile but when the woman turned back around to him his smile faded. Her gaze was just so brilliant as if a million stars would sparkle in those eyes._

"_My name is Ashley Walden. I am glad to have such a nice welcome from the most handsome garcons in the whole estate" she said, herself never leaving Damon's gaze._

_He snapped out of it and offered an arm. Stefan tried to do the same and to be nice, he thought, she took Stefan's arm and let him lead the way into the house. But short before they entered, she turned around and smiled into Damon's face, leaving an astounded young man back, who would not know what had just happened._

* * *

><p>He suddenly woke up, just to see Ashley trying to stand up.<p>

"Hey, what are you doing?" Damon asked while pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"I'm going home. What am I doing here anyway?" She tried to stand but with a yelp and sharp intake of breath she collapsed and if Damon wouldn't have raced to her side with his vampire speed, she would have fallen to the floor. He placed her on the bed lightly and she closed her eyes in pain.

"You need to rest, Ashley. Kath-That stake nearly killed you yesterday. I'll get you some blood so you can heal up faster." Damon stood up, turning around a last time only to see how she closed her eyes and surely drifted of to sleep again.

When he came down the steps into the living room, he heard Stefan and Elena talking in the kitchen. They stopped as soon as Stefan was aware of Damon eavesdropping, so surely enough, they had talked about him.

He went down to the basement to get a couple of blood bags and returned to the kitchen. When he entered, Stefan rose and took out a glass to pour the blood in.

"How is she?" Elena asked with a frown.

"She's getting better, thanks. Stefan, I need to talk to you about something" he raised his eyebrows and Stefan sighed.

"Everything you tell me, you can tell Elena as well. She's been through so many things, she can stand whatever it is." He said.

Elena beamed and looked from Damon to Stefan and back.

"Well" Damon said with a sigh and sat down at the kitchen table, "I had a dream last night."

Stefan looked at Elena and started to ask something when Damon broke him of.

"No, that's not it. And please don't interrupt me, it's difficult enough for me." Stefan nodded and closed his mouth again.

"I dreamed of our first encounter with Ashley, back in 1862." He stopped, waiting for the bomb explode.

"But what's that supposed to say? So you dreamed about her and- Oh" Elena said while her eyes grew round with the last word.

"You remembered her last night?" Stefan asked while getting up and pacing up and down.

"How is that possible? I thought the compelling won't stop until Katherine is dead?" He suddenly stopped to look at Damon.

"Katherine can't be dead, that's for sure. Otherwise I would remember everything and you as well." Damon said with a frown.

"Well, maybe you remember these things because you spent so much time with her. It's said, that amnesia can be cured when you spend as much time as possible with the people you once knew and at all the places you knew well. Maybe compelling works like that as well?" Elena stated.

"That's not as wrong as you might think, little doppelganger" a voice from the living room said. Suddenly Katherine was standing in the doorway, leaning onto the door frame casually and crossing her arms over her chest.

Elena jumped up and Stefan stood in front of her, while Damon stood up slowly and turned to face Katherine.

"What do you want here, Katherine?" he asked in a cold voice.

"I thought you would love to see me after all those years looking for me! You even released all those vampires to the city, just because of me" she said with a sly grin.

"We've killed them all. They're dead, they won't help you with any plan you had before" Stefan said with gritted teeth while he clutched to Elena.

"Oh, don't bother, I didn't want those filthy tomb vampires to help me. I am capable of doing everything I want and usually I get everything I want. And you know what I want now? I want my stupid cousin out of town. She will just ruin everything as she always did!" Katherine was getting angry now, obviously Ashley was a bad subject for her.

"You don't have a say in this house. Just leave us alone!" Stefan said with passion.

"Oh, little Stefan, you still love me, right? So that you know, I'll leave for now, but I'll come back and I can't promise what I'll do when Ashley is still around" she spat her name like some disgusting thought had entered her mind. "And just for fun, I'll mess with your town a little. Oh, and Stefan" she said while turning to go, "I always loved you more" and with that, she vanished as fast as she had come.

Stefan turned to look at Damon who had a stern look on his face.

"How could she come in here without us noticing?" he stated, trying to loosen up the situation.

"I don't know. I'll go check on Ashley, you two stay here and be careful."

He dashed up the stairs to his room and when he entered, he saw Ashley lying as peaceful as he left her before and he had to smile. Her blond hair were laid out beneath her like a pillow and they glittered in the sun that was coming in through the window. She didn't notice anything that was going on downstairs. Suddenly, another memory hit him.

* * *

><p><em>He was walking down the hallway to reach his room, when he saw one of the guest room doors slightly open. He didn't know who was staying here and he was very curious so he glanced into the dimly lit room. When he saw who was getting undressed next to the mirror, his face fell. She was so incredibly beautiful. Her long blonde curls were hanging loosely down her bare back and she was stripping out of her last skirt and was just standing there, in her corsage and stockings and glancing at herself in the mirror. She carefully placed the skirt on top of the others on a chair and then she turned to get her nightgown. When she got it and turned back to put it on, she smiled.<em>

"_Do you like what you see?" she asked lightly. Damon nearly fell into the room. He turned around fast so that he didn't face her anymore._

"_I am sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to pry, I was just passing by and-" he stammered._

"_Well, now that you here, you could help me get out of this tight corsage!" He turned around slowly and saw her looking at him and smiling._

"_But, Miss Ashley, I am sure your lady-in-waiting will be back soon and I really don't know what to do"_

"_Just come here, I'll tell you what to do. Clementine won't be back until tomorrow morning, I gave her the night to get to know the town. Just come." He walked slowly over to her, until he was standing behind her. She pushed her hair out of the way, over her shoulder and he was looking down at her back and the complicated knots which were to hold the corsage in place._

"_You just have to open the knots and work your way from the bottom up." She said with a smile._

_His hands trembled when he started to undo the knots and when he finally reached to top, she didn't hold anything up and so the corsage floated down to the floor, leaving her with bare breasts. Damon turned around fast and now his whole body was trembling._

"_I am terribly sorry, Miss, I have to go now! I wish you a good night!" With that words he left without a backward glance._

* * *

><p>Damon nearly dropped the glass of blood he was holding when he snapped back into reality. Ashley was waking up as she heard him come in. He handed her the blood and she gulped it down in deep swigs and gave him back the empty glass, which he refilled two times before she laid back on the covers, now closing her eyes peaceful.<p>

"Thank you, Damon, you are my hero, my knight in shining armour. You saved me tonight. I owe you one" she said.

"Well, technically you saved me, because if you wouldn't have attacked Katherine, maybe she would have gone on me and I couldn't move, so"

"Just don't talk about her. I don't want to hear her name. It's bad enough I have to think about her every time I move!"

"Ok, let's talk about something else! I had a dream about you last night." Ashley smiled with her eyes closed. "What was it about?"

"Our first encounter" he said, smiling himself.

"Well, that was a catch. You tried to feed from me when you didn't notice at first, that I was a vampire and I nearly crashed your front door. Nice way to get to know each other" Ashley nearly laughed.

"I meant our first first encounter. In 1862." Suddenly, Ashley opened her eyes and sat up straight.

"What? You remember when we first met in 1862? When I came to stay with you with my 'parents'?"

Damon just nodded and he could see tears welling up in her eyes. He dashed to her side and took her into his arms.

"What's up, sweetheart? You don't have to cry!"

"They're tears of happiness, not sadness! I am so incredibly happy that you remember at least something about me!"

"That's not all. I also just had a daydream about when I first passed you room and you were getting undressed on the first night you stayed with us-"

"Yeah, I remember that night. I was kinky back then" she smiled up at him and he wiped the tears away from her eyes. He pulled her up and whispered in her ear.

"I am so happy that I remember you. You're the most beautiful girl I met in my nearly 200 years of life."

And with that, he sealed her lips with a sweet kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Now, what do you think? Please review!<strong>


	10. A brother's love

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 9**

When Ashley was finally feeling better, the two of them went downstairs where Stefan and Elena were sitting in the kitchen.

"Already back from school?" Damon asked while pouring himself and Ashley a drink.

"Yeah. And it was tricky telling them why you wouldn't show up." Stefan stated with a glance at Ashley, who was sipping her drink.

"I'm going to be back tomorrow. Did anyone talk about the party?"

"Everyone talked about the party. They wanted to know where we vanished because the police found blood and a stake and all that" Elena said while taking a bite from her sandwich. She was long over the point feeling awkward to eat in a house where no one else would eat.

"Well when they find out that it is your blood, you are going to have a problem. No human could live with having lost that much blood." Stefan said matter-of-factly.

"They won't discover that it is my blood. Don't forget that I am over five hundred years old. Don't you think I have my ways to be sure, that no one ever gets my blood?"

Elena made round eyes and managed to choke out between bites, "And how do you do that?"

"Some things are better left in the dark" she said with a shrug and went into the living room.

Damon followed her and sat down next to her on the couch where she was staring absent-mindly into the empty fireplace.

"Hey, Ashley, what's up? You should be happy. You just cheated death _again_, and I am finally starting to remember our past. What's bothering you?" he asked while relaxing against the soft leather.

"I am bothered that my only foe, who I have been avoiding my whole life, and seriuosly, that is a long time, is back. For the past two hundred years now, I thought she was dead. Burned to the ground with all the other filthy vampires who couldn't live hidden and quiet among the humans. But now, I discovered that she is back and that the only man I ever truly loved was brain-washed that much by her, that he didn't stop looking for her nearly 200 years. How am I supposed to feel?" Her voice had risen and tears were welling up in her eyes again.

"Sorry, Damon, but I need time. I am going to go now." She turned on her heels, caught her leather jacket and was out of the door before anyone could react. When the front door closed with a loud bang, Stefan poked his head around the corner.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, Stefan" Damon spat out, angrily, "she just left. Why are women that complicated?" He threw a sideward glance at Elena, who just shrugged and continued eating her sandwich. Damon took his own jacket and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked in a stern voice.

"I don't think I have to justify myself in front of you, _mother_" he emphasized the last word and with an evil grin, he banged the door shut and left Stefan shaking his head.

Damon was driving at speed limit with his black Porsche and not merely paying attention to the road. He was deep in thoughts when the memory suddenly hit him.

* * *

><p><em>He was looking out of the window of his bedroom on the first floor, overlooking the whole garden of the estate. He could see two small figures running through the grass, obviously laughing and enjoying the tickling of sun on their skin. He went out of his room to join them and when he stepped out into the warm, loveable sun, he saw that some of the blond locks of the lady were falling down her back and escaping her tight knot under her light green hat. Her dress was twirling around with her and her skirt looked like floating waves, it had a deep blue-green colour, just like the sea.<em>_ The little brown haired girl that was running and playing with her, she was laughing and suddenly they both plunged down into the grass and continued laughing. Damon stepped over to a tree where his brother was sitting in it's shadow and reading a book._

"_They look so sweet together" Damon stated when he sat down next to Stefan._

"_You are right" Stefan said, looking up from his book, "Stella sure came out of herself since Miss Ashley arrived."_

"_She's growing up so fast. And so are you. Stefan, you just turned sixteen and you talk more mature than I do myself" Damon laughed and looked down at his brother lovingly. Stefan put the book aside and looked his brother in the eyes. Where Damon had the icy blue eyes, Stefan had the warm, caring and loving green eyes. His eyes told all about his wisdom but you could still see a hint of his mere sixteen years._

"_Damon, I know what you want to talk about. Father already told me." He dropped his eyes sadly._

"_I know how you feel, even though I can not understand it. Why do you want to leave me so badly?" Tears were welling up in the smaller man's eyes. Damon himself had problems holding his back. He looked over to where Ashley was playing with the little girl._

"_Stefan, I don't want to leave you. I just have to. You have to understand, I have a duty to my country. Even though we are not originally from here, I really have to do this, _mio fratello_. It is difficult for me to leave you. I don't want to, I love you far too much. But I won't be accepted in this society and then I won't be able to marry Miss Ashley." He knew how Stefan liked it when he talked their mother tongue, Italian, since Damon could talk it fluently while Stefan never really learned it._

"_Please, Damon, don't leave me. I love you" Now the tears were floating freely down Stefan's face and he now looked more like a seven-year-old. Damon took his brother in his arms and Stefan sobbed against Damon's shirt. Damon let his tears fall down on Stefan's head._

"_I know, _amato fratello_, I know."_

* * *

><p>Damon's tears were blocking his sight when he looked at the road clearly again. He slowed down and stopped at a parking lot do draw a deep breath, even though he didn't need it. The memory was too overwhelming for him and he didn't even now that he had it. Katherine hadn't just merely erased everything connected to Ashley, she had extinguished every memory Damon had collected in these two years. Sure, he remembered fighting in war but he would love to give these memories up just to get the ones about his brother back. How could they drift so much apart when they were that close once?<p>

Damon shook the thought away and turned to drive back to Mystic Falls. He definitely had to have a little chat with someone when he got back.

Damon dashed into the boarding house, crashing the door open and stomping into the living where Elena and Stefan sat and turned their heads to look at him when they heard him enter. Stefan muted the television.

"What happened to you, have you been crying?" Elena asked mockingly.

"Haha. Funny, girl-that-has-no-tears-left-'caus-I-have-to-cry-every-night-after-having-sex-with-my-boyfriend." Elena turned her attention back to the news, blushing deeply and grumping slightly.

"Did another memory came back to you? You look so shaken" Stefan stated and stood up to meet his brother.

"Sure as hell did. It was a few weeks before my departure and it was a sunny day. You and I were talking and Ashley played with a little girl in the grass" Stefan's face turned slightly grey at Damon's words.

"Yeah, we surely had a nice talk." Stefan managed to get out. He was obviously deeply ashamed that Damon had to remember _that_.

"How come you know so much more than I do? Katherine compelled you as well!" he practically yelled.

"Well, maybe she didn't took that much memories from me after all. I can't remember Ashley though, but maybe she took more from you because you voluntarily gave in to her anyway. She had to compel me to drink her blood."

"Obviously you are right. But then you surely can tell me one thing. Who was that little girl, Stella?"

Stefan took his time answering. When he finally looked up into Damon's eyes and said the words, he could see shook.

"Stella was our little sister."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that the chapter is so short, i will make it up with the next one. <strong>

**What do you think so far? **

**Yeah, a few surprises will come back up and soon enough more details about Ashley's past will be revealed. **

**Stay tuned! Please review!**


	11. Who is Stella?

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 10**

Ashley was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when she heard someone approach her room. She could feel it was Tyler, being a little suspicious because she hadn't left her room for the last two days.

When he knocked, Ashley sighed and sat up.

"Come in" she said and Tyler slowly opened the door.

"Hey, Ash. I just wanted to ask if you need anything."

'_Oh, you wouldn't ask that if you knew what I need'_ she thought but smiled at him.

"Thanks, Tyler, I have everything." She replied sadly.

"Hey, look, I know we never did this whole 'talking-thing' but after all, we are family. How can I help you?" Tyler asked, stepped into the room and sat down on a chair next to the bed.

"Oh, Tyler, I don't know what to tell you! I don't want to bother you with my boring problems." Ashley stated while falling back onto the bed.

"Come on, you don't leave your room. You don't go to school anymore. Who are you avoiding?" Tyler asked encouragingly.

"Stefan. He lives with Damon and would tell him everything. And I don't want Damon to know how awful I look." She said while rolling around in bed.

"Ashley, you had some bad days, but you surely look better than a lot of girls I know who spend tons of hours in front of their mirrors. You just need to get your butt up, dress nicely and show Damon what he misses when he messes with you! Go out there and show him what he could have!"

"Thank you Tyler, that pep talk was exactly what I needed now. You're absolutely right!" She jumped up and went to the bathroom to take a shower and show the world what she was capable of. She wouldn't let Katherine get under her skin that easily. For god's sake she was older than her! When Ashley picked up her purse, she was smiling and when she got into her brand new car, she had the perfect idea how to make Katherine pay.

Entering the Grill, Ashley took a good look around to see if any familiar faces where around. She spotted Stefan and Elena sitting at a booth. She scooped in next to Stefan and bumped his hip.

"Hey you guys. How's it going?"

Elena's eyes grew big and she nearly choked on her coke.  
>"Well, look who came back from the death" Stefan joked and looked at Ashley.<p>

"Ha-Ha, how funny. I just needed some serious me-time. And that's done so I'm back into Mystic Falls high life." She started laughing and Stefan didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen her like that in a long time. Nearly two hundred years to be precise. He was struck when he suddenly remembered her laugh.

"Stefan? Everything alright?" Elena asked and Ashley stopped laughing to look at him. Stefan's eyes had filled with tears but he was smiling.

"I just remembered your laugh back then. I think I am starting to remember as well" he said while laughing and hugging Ashley.

"So how's Damon doing?" Ashley asked carefully.

"You really hit him under the skin I never saw him so – depressed, kind of" Elena said.

"Well, that never was my intention. I have to go apologize, later." The waiter came and asked her what she wanted. Ashley smiled at him and ordered scotch on ice.

When he turned to leave he smiled at Elena.

"What was that about?" Ashley smiled.

"That's Matt, he's my ex." Ashley let that subject drop as she felt Stefan stiffen beside her.

She turned to face him.

"Yeah, Damon. I wanted to tell you something about him. He remembered Stella." Stefan stated.

"Wow. You know, Stella was my sunshine. I loved her like my own daughter. And he was so sweet with her" Ashley's eyes got dreamy when she thought of the times back then.

"Yeah, in the last years I thought of her more often. It's a pity what happened to her" Stefan's voice dropped sadly.

"I know. I never forgave myself for that night" Ashley lowered her eyes.

"What happened to her?" Elena asked carefully. Stefan was the first one able to speak of her.

"In the night, when Katherine and Emily arrived, something strange happened. Stella usually was a very happy child.

_But that night, I went to look for her because she had been crying. She was sitting upright in her bed and tears were glittering in the corners of her eyes. As always, when she had a bad dream, I sat her on my lap and started telling her stories of mother, who died shortly after Stella's birth. Stella would usually sleep within minutes but that night, she stirred and her gaze would wander to the window every other minute. At some point I went to the window to look out and there I saw the carriage of Katherine and Emily stuck outside the properties. I put Stella in her bed and promised her to come back later and then I went to pick up Damon._

_"Of course I did not return to her room that night because the ball was about to be held and we were all fascinated by Katherine and so I send a nursemaid up to her._

_"Since then, she was different. She didn't seem to like Katherine and Katherine never touched her. Stella seemed to understand what danger Katherine was posing and therefore never wanted to play with her. The night before Damon was to leave, something strange happened. Stella was sleeping badly and I went to her to soothe her. When she slept on my lap Katherine came in and compelled me to follow her. I don't remember anything else."_

Stefan dropped his head. Ashley laid a hand on his shoulder and continued the story.

_"I noticed a group of four people leave the estate. I saw that it was Katherine, Emily and Stefan with Stella on his hands. I decided to follow them since I knew that Katherine had never been up to anything good. I followed them into the woods where Emily took Stella out of Stefan's hands and he dropped to the ground, lifeless. He obviously was compelled. I saw how Emily spoke some words and suddenly Katherine took Stella. She was still sound asleep, surely under a spell. I couldn't stand it anymore because I loved her so much and stepped out of the shadows of the trees._

_"'Stop it, Katherine. That child is not yours!'_

_"'You don't have anything to say, cousin! She is going to ruin my plans!' She passed the child to Emily and started for me. I was taken by surprise and when she had me by the throat she whispered in my ear._

_"'Your mistake to come here tonight. I hope you enjoy the night. Emily just took the spell from your ring and therefore you are not able to walk in the daylight anymore. But I don't want to kill you. You are my family after all' she said with a mocking smile, 'I give you a last chance. Leave Mystic Falls and never come back. When you have left the town's boarders, the power of your ring will come back. But if you will ever return here, I will kill you right in front of your beloved one's eyes. Take that as a warning!'_

_"With that she pinned my hand with a stake to the ground and I had to scream because of the pain. When I tried to pull out the stake, she put one in my back which made me scream even more. When I tried to move and pull the bigger stake out, she pinned my other hand down as well._

_"'I know you won't die because of that. You're a strong vampire. But I can't be sure if you will make it before dawn' She laughed and walked away with Emily and Stella._

_"I made it home before dawn but Stella never returned after that night."_

"Oh my god." Elena gasped. "I am so sorry that you had to suffer that much. What happened to Stella?"

"We never knew. Father told everyone she was taken by an animal, but no one ever found her body." Stefan said sadly.

Ashley touched his arm. "It's not your fault what happened to her. Katherine could have compelled anyone. You couldn't have done anything against it!"

He smiled sadly.

"I just wish I knew what Katherine did with her. Just to be sure that she didn't had to suffer."

"I know, maybe someday we will know." Ashley said soothingly. "Just promise me, you won't go after Katherine now!"

"I promise. But we can't tell Damon that story. He surely will go after Katherine when he hears that" Stefan said.

"I won't tell him!" Ashley said.

"Tell him what?" Damon asked while stepping up to their booth and sitting down next to Elena.

"Well, how - nice, ahm, the weather is today!" Ashley smiled.

"You're a bad liar" Damon stated.

"Don't start on me, it's for your own good!" Ashley said while crossing her arms.

"Just tell me. I promise I won't freak out."

"No. It's something about our past. I can't tell you that. Not now" Ashley turned her head away.

"Ash. Concerning our past I want to know everything. I just started to remember, you have to help me!" Damon said and looked loveable in Ashley's eyes.

The latter rolled hers and told him the whole story.

"Ashley, now you dug up your own grave." Stefan said when she was finished.

Damon was sitting with his eyes focused on something else.

"How could she...I am going...I am going to kill her!"

* * *

><p><strong>Okay guys, what do you think? Sorry, the ending is a little lame but I had to finish it real fast. I got a post that the last chapter was a little confusing. Is anyone else thinking that? If yes, I could write some more explanation in the next chapter. Just tell me, I won't bite (Ha-Ha)<strong>

**Please review!**


	12. Meeting the devil

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 11**

„Damon. You promised you wouldn't freak!" Ashley had taken him by his forearm and her grip tightened so that he couldn't get away. Damon rolled his eyes.

"I don't like it that you're stronger than me." He sat back down and crossed his arms.

"I am going to find her and then I'm going to kill her for torturing my family. She was such a sweet little girl! How could she possibly have been a threat to Katherine? She was only 8 years old after all."

"You know, you and Stefan were _in love_ with Stella. You were the perfect bigger brothers and Katherine wanted your attention all to herself. She couldn't stand to share the stage light with someone else. Why do you think did she wanted me out of town? It was a pity she had a witch at hand." Ashley's eyes darkened an inch and she took a few notes out of her purse, put them on the table and stood.

"Where are you going? If I am not allowed to hunt down Katherine, then you're certainly not!" Damon stood as well and looked her in the eyes.

"I won't go after Katherine, five hundred years have taught me better. I was going to pick something up – to eat" Ashley said with a sideway glance at Elena which lost a little of her face colour. She wasn't used to someone finding humans for feeding, as Stefan survived only on animals and blood bags. But Ashley wasn't planning on killing someone, she hadn't killed anybody in over three hundred years except for the occasional asshole.

"Let me go with you. I'm hungry." Damon said with a grin and offered her his arm. She certainly couldn't resist a gentlemen like that. She took his arm and over her shoulder waved good-bye to Stefan and Elena who just shook their heads.

Since Damon had to pick something up, they drove to the boarding house first. Ashley wanted to wait in the car but then she had a better idea. She went into the house after Damon and stepped into the living room where she suddenly stopped dead. Damon was lying on the floor and a slender figure with long brown curls was bend over him.

"Katherine" Ashley hissed. She turned around and stepped away from an unconscious Damon. Ashley positioned herself and suddenly Katherine came jumping. But Ashley did learn from their last encounter and she turned her shoulder just moments before Katherine would have hit her.

Therefore Katherine couldn't meet her estimated target and bounced off the wall to face Ashley again. But Ashley was faster this time.

She turned around in the split of a second and pinned Katherine to the wall with her right hand on her throat. Katherine suddenly had problems breathing and talking and she used both her hands to try to open Ashley's iron grip. But she couldn't stand a chance, Ashley was in her vampire fighting mode, where nothing could distract her. Ashley bared her fangs.

"Now who did the mistake returning here? Maybe you can knock out a two-hundred-year-old Salvatore but don't you underestimate me again. I am older than you are, Katerina, _mrŭsni kuchka_."

"Don't you dare speak our mother tongue. You're not worth it" Katherine choked out while she was still fidgeting under Ashley's hand.

Ashley slowly bend down to Katherine's ear.

"I could kill you now, you know that, right? But I won't. I want some information beforehand and if I am satisfied, I will maybe let you go"

Katherine spat into Ashley's face.

"You'll never get anything out of me, _Veshtitsa_" Katherine hissed. Ashley was getting annoyed and she turned her head slightly to her left were a little dresser stood. She took the wooden paper knife that was lying there and turned it around in her left hand. She didn't mind working with her left hand, in the last five hundred years she had perfected both.

"What did you do with Stella?" Ashley sneered and let the stake hover over Katherine's heart.

"Nothing. That filthy little girl did nothing but torture me. She wasn't normal" Katherine was practically screaming now, she was totally afraid of the stake.

"What did you do to her?" Ashley asked again, scratching Katherine's cheek with the stake.

"I wanted to kill her. But Emily said that she was too powerful to be killed just like that. I never believed her but when I tried to suck her dry, it was like she had ingested vervain. I couldn't move and then she was gone. Someone must have taken her. I have nothing to do with her vanishing" She was gasping now as Ashley was pressing her hand stronger to her throat.

"How can I be sure you tell me the truth?" She took the stake and crushed Katherine's right arm with it. As the blood was welling out, Katherine yelled out in agony and anger.

"I told you the truth" she managed to bring out through clenched teeth as her arm was already beginning to heal.

"I don't believe you, _Katerina_" With these words she thrust the stake into Katherine's stomach and let go of her throat. Katherine doubled over and Ashley grasped her hair to pull her up again and to make the pain in the wound unbearable.

She took the stake out and thrust it in again and again.

"Okay, wait, I'll tell you the truth" Katherine gasped and blood was running from her nose and the corners of her mouth.

"Klaus. Klaus wanted her. And I sent her to him" She chocked while holding onto the dresser. Ashley's face got grey.

"You sent her to Klaus?" She yelled and wanted to make a head start for Katherine as the front door opened. Stefan stepped in and when he saw the two girls he nearly dropped his keys.

"What the-" he started but as Ashley was distracted for only a split second, Katherine used her vampire speed and raced outside and was gone. Ashley dropped her head.

"What the hell was that about?" Stefan asked when he had closed the front door and stepped into the living room. Ashley ran into it before him and kneeled next to Damon. When she gently shook him, he slowly came back into consciousness. Stefan already kneeled next to them.

"Wha-what happened? Katherine, where is she?" he said while he slowly sat up.

"That filthy bitch is gone" Ashley said with a dark face.

"She surely made an impression on Katherine" Stefan smiled. Ashley looked down at her hands and saw the blood drying on her fingers. She stood up, now that Damon was awake again and went into the kitchen to wash her hands. When she was rinsing the sink clean, the two brothers stepped into the kitchen.

"So what are you so upset about?" Stefan asked.

"If you look on the floor of the hallway, you can see how you kicked her butt" Damon said proudly and smiled.

"I don't care. I want her dead and if I have to do that myself, so be it." She turned around to face the brothers and tried to push her way through them to leave.

"Wait a second." Damon said and took hold of her arm. "What happened between the two of you? You look really, really bad"

Stefan stepped over to the counter and made some soothing tea while Damon took Ashley by the hand and they sat down at the kitchen table.

When Stefan seated himself as well, they all drank some tea.

"So, Ashley, what happened, or better, what did she tell you, that you look so freaked?" Stefan asked slowly.

"Well, at first, I have to tell you a little story from my past, that you don't know yet. It happened shortly before I was turned into a vampire…

* * *

><p><em>I had just moved in with my cousin's family, which means Katerina's family, and something was terribly wrong.<em>

_Katerina and I always got along well, but since my last visit, something went wrong. When I tried to talk to Katerina's father, my uncle, he wouldn't tell me anything._

'_I can tell you only so much, Ashlin, _lyubim rodnini_, you're not the one that brought shame over my family.'_

_I went to talk to Katerina and when I found her in her room, she was crying."_

* * *

><p>"What does that everything have to do with what she told you today?" Damon asked.<p>

"Just be patient, you have to know the story to understand everything" Ashley said impatiently and hit Damon on the forearm.

"Please, continue, Ashley" Stefan said with a strict sideway glance at Damon.

* * *

><p>'<em>Katerina, <em>bratovched_, what's wrong?' When she was able to talk, she told that she just had had a little girl, and that she had been taken away from her._

'_She was so beautiful and I wasn't even allowed to hold her in my arms. How am I supposed to live on?'_

'_Oh, Katerina, you should know how your father would react if you bring home a child without being married. If you would have followed the rules, you shouldn't even have been able to conceive!'_

_It was the biggest mistake in those times to have sex before you are married. It was sure, that Katerina had to expect some consequences._

_When I tried to find her the next day, she wasn't in her room and when I asked some people in the house, no one could tell me where she was._

_I went to check the woods and suddenly, I found myself on a great clearing I hadn't ever seen before. It was so peaceful, I forgot about my search for a while and just laid there in the soft grass and looked up to the sky, when suddenly a very handsome young man stepped out of the woods. He was dressed in the finest clothes I have ever seen and he had such a nice smile on his lips. I stood as fast as I could and tried to fix my loose hair-do. He just smiled and stepped over to me, kissing my hand._

'_Lord Niklaus, my pleasure' he said and I heard a faint british accent._

'_Lady Ashlin, and the pleasure is mine' I said with a deep coutsey. I was stunned and impressed, that such a handsome young man was talking to me, and me alone, because you must know, I obviously hadn't been the best catch back in my time. I was nearly twenty-five years old and never had a man so much as glanced in my direction. Therefore I was more than happy that he took my hand and led me over to a batch of stones, where we sat down._

'_You look exhausted, my lady. Did you travel today?' He asked nicely and warm._

'_No, I arrived yesterday but I had to stay up late. Some family issues' I added with a smile._

'_But you have to be from far away. Did I hear an accent?' I asked him bluntly even though it wasn't the habit back then, that the women talked that much when they weren't asked._

'_Yes, you heard right. I am from Great Britain. Have you ever been to our beautiful island?' He asked while looking deeply into my eyes._

'_No, I am sorry, never. But if you say it is that wonderful, I would have to visit it someday!'_

'_You have to. Definitely. You said something about family issues before. Do you want to talk about it, so that it won't bother you so much anymore?'_

'_It was just a small story, I had to soothe my cousin. She had some troubles with her father.'_

'_Oh well. What is the name of your cousin?' he asked, friendly and he seemed genuinely interested. I didn't bother that he wanted so much information on my family, because I was so happy a guy was talking to me._

'_Katerina Petrova' I said while getting lost in his beautiful blue eyes. We talked for a while before I had to return to our house and to see that Katerina had returned safely._

_He didn't return for the next few days and I was afraid that he would never come back again until one night, I heard some noise and stood up. I looked out of my window and I saw Katerina walking towards the woods. That was strange in the middle of the night and so I decided to follow her. When we arrived the clearing where I met Niklaus, she suddenly stopped dead and looked around as if she didn't know what she was doing here. I decided to hide behind a tree not to startle her if she was sleep walking._

_Suddenly, a figure emerged from the trees on the other side of the clearing and I saw it was Niklaus. He smiled and whispered, just so that I could hear it 'Katerina'. He stepped over to her and took her face in his hands and my heart broke. Again, the man I liked fell for Katerina, as it had always been. But then something strange happened. He looked her into the eyes and said something I couldn't understand and suddenly she went limb in his hands. He put her over his shoulder as if she was a bag of feathers and vanished between the trees. I decided to follow them and after some time I saw a fire on another clearing. A woman was standing beside it and was murmuring something in another language. There were two burning circles in the middle, in one a man was lying, crumpled as if he had been thrown there. In the other circle a young man was sitting, crying and obviously terrified. Niklaus stepped to the two circles and dropped Katerina in front of them. In an instant a third circle appeared and I couldn't believe my eyes. The woman next to the fire was talking louder now and the fire was growing with every second. Katerina was awaking slowly and started screaming as soon as she was conscious. Suddenly, Niklaus was by her side and his face changed. The veins under his eyes became visible and his face looked like carved from marble. He opened his mouth and a hissing sound came out as he bared his fangs. Yes, he had fangs! I drew in a sharp breath, which was my mistake. He turned his head to me and suddenly, his face was normal again and he smiled. In less than a second he was by my side and took my hand. I was so startled, that I let him lead me into the clearing. _

'_Lady Ashlin, what a nice surprise. I am sorry that you have to find it out that way.'_

'_To find what out?' I asked him in surprise, I obviously didn't want to see the truth._

'_That I am a vampire' he said, bared his fangs again and lunged for my throat._

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for that but I had to make a really long chapter in two parts. Hope you like it.<strong>

**Please review!**


	13. Transformation

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 12**

_I just felt a burning so bad, I couldn't stand it anymore. I heard myself screaming even though I wasn't able to control my body anymore._

_When I felt myself going weaker and weaker, the pain suddenly stopped. Niklaus let go of me and I nearly fell to the floor. He sat me down and smiled at me, but I was disgusted as his mouth was smeared with my blood and his eyes had a deep red. _

'_What are you going to do with Katerina?' I was able to bring out._

'_I just nearly sucked you dry and you worry about your cousin's life? That's noble. I am going to kill her, I need her to fulfil my prophecy.'_

'_No, don't kill her, take me instead!' I had a grasp on his trousers and didn't let him go. My strength was fading fast and I could feel unconsciousness wrapping around me. But I couldn't let Katerina be killed. I slowly turned to look at him and saw him laughing._

'_No, my sweet one. I have other plans for you.' He bent down and stroked my cheek. At that touch, I couldn't stand it anymore. My head was throbbing and I felt that I was still loosing blood._

'_You have plans for me? And what if I stop them?' I took a sharp stick of wood that lied next to me and thrust it in my stomach. His eyes grew big and I cried out in pain._

'_What are you doing? Are you insane?' his strange monster face had returned and he tried to take a hold of me. I crawled away, leaving a bloody trail behind. When I couldn't move an inch anymore, I nearly had reached Katerina and her fire circle. She had watched the whole scenario horrified and now she was crying._

'_Ashlin, _lyubim srodna dusha_, why did you do that? I wasn't worth that. You just could have let me die.__'_

'_Never, Katerina, never' I whispered and felt myself drifting of into darkness. _

_But before my unbearable pain would end, someone took hold of my loose hair and dragged me away and then in the air. I was looking into Niklaus' eyes and for the first time this evening, I wasn't afraid because I was sure to die any second._

'_You are not going to die tonight. Not if I can prevent it.' He bit into his wrist and put it over my mouth while his other hand was grasping my neck so that I was forced to drink his blood. I was crying now and when he believed I had enough, he pulled out the stake and let me drop to the floor. I lay there, panting, crying and fighting against unconsciousness. I saw Niklaus approaching the first circle where the crumpled man was lying. When he stepped to the fire, it was gone and Niklaus kneeled next to the man._

_He held up the stake he just had pulled out of my stomach and when the man opened his eyes in shock, he stabbed him into the heart. The man's face turned to stone and suddenly, he wasn't moving anymore. Niklaus pulled out the stake and stepped over to the fire and put it in. All the time, the woman was still talking in that different tongue. _

_Suddenly, I felt my strength returning and I was able to sit up. When I looked down at my body, I saw that the wound from the stake was gone! It had just healed, like that! _

_I stood up, still a little shaken, but I was able to stand._

'_Niklaus, stop that, now!' I said, not sure where that came from. He was a deadly vampire and I only a girl that nearly died._

'_Oh, your strength returned. About time. Now, onto the next stage of my transformation, then we can move on to yours.'_

_He was about to step to the little boy when I grasped his shoulder. Big mistake. He took my hand and when he turned around, he was looking angry._

'_I was saving that for later but if you can't wait! He took out a shining dagger and smiled at me._

'_It will just hurt for a second' he said quietly. Behind him, I could hear Katerina screaming and sobbing._

_He thrust the dagger down and it pierced my skin directly at the heart. I felt a sharp pain and suddenly I was crumbling down to the floor. In the second before my eyes would close for the last time, I send a silent prayer to god that he would help Katerina."_

* * *

><p>Ashley had to stop there because she was nearly crying at the memory. Damon put an arm around her shoulder and stroked her head gently.<p>

"Hey, if you don't want to, you don't have to tell us everything." He said soothingly.

"No, I have to. You're the first ones I tell my story. I have to share it, at least once"

* * *

><p><em>I slowly opened my eyes and didn't know what had happened. I looked around me and I felt different. Everything was so bright, and even though it was night, I could see everything as clear as it would be on the brightest summer day. Everything smelled different, as well. I could smell hundreds if not thousands of different smells, all coming to me at once. Also, I could hear so much better. I thought I was dead and if that would be heaven, it would be okay so far. But then I suddenly heard a faint whimpering and I slowly sat up. <em>

_I was still next to the big fire and it suddenly felt hotter than ever before and I was fearful all of sudden. The whimpering I located from the fire circle where Katerina was lying. Niklaus was hovering in the third circle, over the young boy who was to frightened to make so much as a sound. I looked around and tried to find a way to help Katerina. _

_Obviously, Niklaus wanted to fulfil some kind of spell and he needed those three people for that. When I turned to face that witch, I suddenly felt a burning in my throat I never felt before. I was so thirsty as if I had just run a marathon. But I wasn't craving for water, I was craving for that witch, for her blood. Before I could stop myself I stood up and in an instant I was standing behind her without her noticing. I felt so much stronger that before and as I saw that Niklaus was busy with the little boy, I took the head of the witch in one hand and her body in my other. I felt my fangs extend and my face crumple. She snapped out of her trance but before she could scream I lowered my face and bit into her neck. Blood was welling sweetly and warm into my mouth and I felt the witch going more limb with every passing minute. When I listened closely, I could hear her heart beat getting fainter and fainter. When it stopped, I let her drop to the ground and the fire reduced itself to normal. _

_Katerina's fire circle went out and she looked up, frightened. She saw me and her eyes grew big. I motioned for her to run away but she wasn't able to move, she thought she would see a ghost. But when she saw my blood smeared face, recognition passed her eyes. She slowly stood up and stepped a few feet away from Niklaus and when I turned to face him, I heard a disgusting ripping sound and I __saw him holding up the heart of the young boy. I rushed to Katerina's side and stood in front of her when she retreated ever so slowly into the woods. Niklaus turned around and when he sawme standing in front of him, his eyes flickerd over to the fire place for an instant and he saw his witch dead. Katerina had vanished by now and Niklaus threw the heart away. _

_He stepped to me and took me by the throat._

'_How dare you stop my transformation when I finally had all the ingredients? How dare you stop me if I just granted you immortality?'_

'_What are you talking about?' I was able to choke out._

'_Niklaus. What are you doing?' a voice emerged from the woods._

_He let go of me and I dropped on the floor, rubbing my throat._

'_Elijah. What took you so long? That filthy girl was able to disturb my transformation and to kill my witch. And the doppelganger vanished!' Niklaus cried out in anger and frustration._

'_Brother. Be calm. The doppelganger is still human? You don't have to fear. We will get hold of her, sooner or later. Let her go' he nodded at me, 'and she will be of great help. You know where she lives, so you can command her to help you.'_

_Niklaus seemed soothed but definitely not satisfied._

'_Just go, you're not my concern anymore.' He said with a dismissive gesture. I stood up shaking and ran away, in the direction of my house when I heard that Elijah say one more word._

'_She will cause a blood bath when she returns home. She is just a few hours old!' Niklaus laughed when he responded. 'I don't think that is our problem anymore.'_

* * *

><p>"From that point on, I ran from Klaus and Elijah and in addition from Katherine. Even though Klaus had lost his interest in killing me since Katherine was turned into a vampire." Ashley closed her story and sighed.<p>

"So you have been turned by the first vampire that was _ever_ created? No wonder you are that strong" Damon added when Ashley nodded.

"I don't think that Klaus wants me after all. He was after Katherine, but since she was turned she is no help to him now, he just wants her dead now. But I fear he has another target by now." Ashley said slowly.

"Who would that be?" Damon asked carefully.

"Well, I definitely think it's Elena."

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? I felt you all had to know a little bit more about Ashley's past.<strong>

**Please review!**


	14. Old friends returning

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 13**

„So what you are trying to tell us, is, that Elena's life is in danger only because some crazy vampire guy wants to do some ritual to lift a spell that is on him?" Stefan asked with a frown.

"Yeah. It would have been Katherine's life, but she decided to turn into a vampire and therefore her blood is no longer important for Klaus' ritual." Ashley sighed.

"Well that's bad." Damon said matter-of-factly. Stefan suddenly exploded.

"Thanks, brother, for this important enrolment. The life of my girlfriend is at risk and you just make your stupid jokes. Can you for once behave like an adult?" he was cut short when his phone rang. Damon wanted to say something to him, but Ashley put a hand on his forearm soothingly. Stefan stopped talking on the phone and lowered his head.

"What's up, your outburst already over?" Damon asked annoyed. Ashley slapped him on the arm.

"That was Elena. She's coming over now. I can't tell her the news. She will freak!"

"Then don't tell her." Damon said, without much interest.

"Well, I certainly don't know how it would even be possible to save her because Klaus is the first vampire _ever_, but-" Ashley said but Damon cut her short.

"We'll leave. I don't think miss-suddenly-has-to-reveal-everything here can hold anything back" Damon smirked at Ashley and took her by the elbow and tugged her out the front door where they bumped into Elena.

"Hey you tow. Where are you going? I was hoping to talk to you" she said and was looking from Damon to Ashley and back.

"Well, we have some errands to run, sorry. We'll be back!" Damon answered, smiled and pulled Ashley into his car before she could spill anything.

"She will be suspicious. I shouldn't even have told you two" Ashley said and buried her head in her hands. Damon put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Maybe you shouldn't have, but you did and now you can't take it back. Let's do the best out of it and search for a way to help Elena. Don't blame yourself for anything. Maybe it's an advantage for us that you were turned by Klaus. At least his blood is running in your veins and that means you've got to have some of his strength!" He patted her shoulder reassuringly and Ashley calmed down a little.

"You're right. Let's think about something else. Can you drive me home? I have to change clothes, seriously."

When they arrived at the Lockwood mansion, they saw that no one was home. Ashley opened the front door and stepped into the house, closely followed by Damon.

"Wow thank god I have been invited in once, otherwise I would have to wait for ages out there."

Ashley saw a little note on the table in the hallway and picked it up.

_Dear Ashley,  
><em>_I had to run for the mayor's office, I'll be back late.  
><em>_Taylor is out with some friends, he won't be back either.  
><em>_Food is in the fridge, see you in the morning.  
><em>_Love, Carol_

Damon read the note over Ashley's shoulder and when she put it down again, he slung his hands around her waist from behind.

"Nice, the whole house to ourselves" he said with a smirk and snuggled into her shoulder. Ashley turned around in his arms to face him.

"Damon, I really really have to go shower and change my clothes. I have them on since yesterday when I came to your place." She shoved him away and made her way upstairs. Damon followed her up into her room. When she rummaged around in her closet, he plunged down on her bed.

"What do you think are you doing?" Ashley put her arms on her hips and stared at Damon.

"Just enjoying myself while I am waiting for you." He picked up the remote control and started flipping through the channels of the television. Ashley just shook her head and went into the bathroom to shower.

When she returned, Damon wasn't on her bed anymore. She sighed and went downstairs to look for him.

She found him rummaging through an ancient cupboard that held all the booze.

"Hey, you. Where did you learn that you have to ask before you make yourself that comfortable?" Ashley laughed and Damon turned around to face her. She was wearing a white strapless summer dress, that made her body seem to be carved out of marble.

She smiled at Damon and suddenly he was there, pressing her against the wall and holding her arms back. He grinned at her hungrily and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was demanding and fierce, and Ashley felt herself wanting more. She turned both of them around and suddenly she was on top and was holding Damon back against the wall.

He brought a hand up to her hair and grabbed them to swirl her around and up the stairs into her room. He threw her on the bed and when he closed the door with a band he jumped onto the mattress next to her. He grabbed her fiercely and pulled her on top of him. He struggled for a while to find where to open that dress but then he decided not to bother. With a ripping sound he tore it apart and dropped the leftovers on the floor.

He laid her next to her on the bed and saw her posing lascivious in her white lingerie, she was only wearing a strapless bra and panties. She threw a strand of her hair behind her shoulder and sat up only to push Damon on the covers. She ripped the shirt off him, just as he did before with her dress and suddenly he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on him, so she was lying on top of him.

Damon started kissing her again, more demanding than before and it was not long that the two of them were lying naked next to each other, panting and sweating. Damon put himself on top of her and fulfilled all her needs and maybe a little more. They switched positions often and after what seemed like eternity, they finished, breathing heavily. Damon put an arm around Ashley's shoulder and they just laid there, Damon stroking Ashley's naked belly and she was holding onto him, eyes closed, wanting to savour the memory as long as possible.

Suddenly the two of them were awakened from their world when the doorbell rang. Ashley put on a silk bathrobe and Damon dressed in his trousers, as nothing else was left and followed Ashley down the stairway.

She was already opening the door and the two of them saw a good looking guy in his thirties, more or less, standing there with a large backpack and a travelling bag. In the driveway, a big pick up was parked behind Damon's Porsche.

"Hi" said the man, "I am Mason Lockwood, the mayor's brother." Ashley's face fell. She knew that man but she couldn't say where she had met him.

"I am Ashley Walden. I am a distant cousin of Carol's and staying here until my house is finished." They shook hands and Mason looked expectantly at Damon.

"Damon Salvatore." He said shortly without an attempt to shake Mason's hand.

"Sorry that I, uhm, interrupted you in any way" Mason said while looking from Ashley's bathrobe and her tousled hair to Damon's bare chest and grinned stupidly, "but I am here to visit my brother and his family. It's been a along time."

"Sure, just come- feel yourself comfortable, Carol's not at home at the moment. Shall we help you with your baggage?" Ashley said and stepped aside with a sideward glance at Damon. If he was a vampire, he wouldn't be able to come in now.

Mason stepped over the threshold and looked around.  
>"Thank you, that's okay. And where is Richard? My brother." He added as if he had to explain that to the two of them.<p>

"Well, let's sit down, do you want something to drink?" Ashley asked while she led him into the living room. Something strange was radiating from that man but she couldn't say. Damon followed them shortly and stood next to the fireplace and crossed his arms over his chest. He saw Mason's gaze as Ashley made herself comfortable on a futon and crossed her bare legs.

"So" he started when he was able to draw his gaze from Ashley's perfectly tanned legs to her face.

"You didn't tell me where Richard was?"

"Didn't they tried to contact you? Richard died a few months ago. I'm sorry." Mason's face fell, he was genuinely upset.

"Wow, I didn't know. How come Carol didn't contact me?" he asked.

"Well, maybe she tried but couldn't get hold of you?" Ashley said with a smile, to cheer him up.

Suddenly, the front door opened and they heard Carol coming in.

"Hey, Ashley, Damon, nice to see-" she stopped dead when she entered the living room. "Mason?" she added when she recognised the man on the couch.

He stood and stepped over to her.

"Carol. I just heard it." She hugged him and sighed.

"I am sorry that you had to hear it that way. We tried to call you but you're number wasn't accurate anymore. We tried to contact your landlord but he told us you had moved and- I am sorry." Now it was Mason's turn to hug her.

Ashley stood. "Hey guys, we'll be going, I am sure that you have a lot to talk about, so we'll let you have a little privacy." Carol nodded thankfully and smiled at her. Mason led her into the kitchen where they could hear them making tea and talking about Richard.

Ashley and Damon went upstairs where Ashley had to find a new dress and Damon picked up the remnants of their old clothes with a chuckle.

"Imagine he would have come ten minutes earlier. We wouldn't even have heard him" he smiled.

"Funny, Damon. Don't you think that will happen again here. It's neither your house nor mine. I can't believe we even did this." Ashley said while packing some things in a bag.

"What are you doing? Are you planning on staying at our place tonight?" Damon said with a smirk.

"Only if you behave and I can have my own room. Otherwise I'll ask Elena. I wonder how long my house will take to finish."

"You're really waiting for a house? I thought you only said that because of Mason" Damon asked with round eyes.

"Nope. I have bought a house but it had to be renovated that's why I am staying here. Did you think with my age I wanted to stay with my relatives just for fun?" Ashley told him while she turned around. "Can we go? Where is your shirt?" She asked him.

"You ripped it into pieces, remember?" Damon answered with a smirk when he led her out of the room and out of the house into his car. Ashley just rolled her eyes but had to smile when Damon wasn't looking.

When they reached the boarding house, they saw Elena's car standing in front of the house and that the light was on in the living room.

"Oh no, Elena. I totally forgot about the _news_" Ashley said with a groan.

"Yeah, I am pretty awesome at distraction." Damon laughed when he raced around to open the door for Ashley.

Ashley rolled her eyes and stepped into the boarding house. When they entered the living room, Stefan and Elena were watching TV. They turned around when they heard them coming in.

"Hey Ashley. Dam- why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Stefan asked with a frown.

Damon smirked at Ashley who just hit him on the chest.

"Don't be such an ass. It's torn. He was clumsy." Ashley stated and slumped down onto a futon next to the couch.

"Elena, how are you?" Ashley asked while Damon walked around them to pour himself a drink.

"I'm okay. Stefan told me everything. It's difficult but I'll make it. I'm pretty much better now, really" she said and smiled, so genuine, that Ashley believed her.

"By the way, what are you doing back here?" Stefan asked Ashley.

"Well, I was thinking about staying here because Richard Lockwood's long lost brother returned home and I didn't want to spoil any family reunion."

"Well, that's okay, we have a spare room anyway" Stefan smiled. Damon cleared his throat and Ashley sighed.

"Thank you, Stefan. I would love to have that room" with that words she stood up, picked up her bag and walked past Damon with a sexy grin on her lips.

The next morning Ashley was woken up by the smell of fresh coffee. It was Saturday and she smiled when she got up and walked down the stairs. She saw Stefan making the coffee and Elena sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bagel and reading the newspapers.

Suddenly, Damon was walking down the stairs and when he stepped into the kitchen he let out a low whistle, to signalise that he liked the pink shorts and the little shoulder strap tee Ashley was wearing.

Ashley rolled her eyes and grabbed a cup of coffee. She sat down next to Elena and started to read the part of the newspaper Elena had already had.

Damon and Stefan both looked at the girls, then at themselves and suddenly they cracked up laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ashley asked. Elena just looked confused.

"It's just that- ah- you look like- wow it looks like we're a family" Damon was able to choke out and still couldn't stop laughing. Ashley and Elena exchanged glances which certainly meant "boys!" and continued to read the papers.

After breakfast, well at least breakfast for Elena, Stefan and Elena planned on helping Caroline decorate Mystic Fall's park for the next celebration that was to be held on Sunday. Ashley wanted to go home and since her car was still at the Lockwood's, Damon offered to drive her.

When the four of them went to the door, Ashley was the one to open it. She stepped out and nearly bumped into a tall, slender figure in a tux, with neatly combed hair and a thin lip line. Ashley couldn't but gasp and her mouth fell. Damon, Stefan and Elena were confused.

The man smiled at them and then he turned to look at Ashley.

"Nice to see you again, Miss _Ashlin_" he said.

Ashley was able to whisper through her clenched teeth.

"Elijah"

* * *

><p><strong>Now what do you say? Sorry, that some parts are a little confusing I really had difficulties bringing this chapter from my brains to paper...but I hope you like it nevertheless. Tell me what you think!<strong>

**Please review!**


	15. Little sister's back!

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 14**

„What are you doing here?" Ashley hissed as soon as she had caught herself.

"I could ask you the same question. Shouldn't you be dead?" Elijah said with narrowed eyes.

Stefan looked at her questioningly.

"I faked my death some years ago so that I could live in peace." Ashley said with a dismissive gesture.

"Whatever. I am not here for you, _Ashlin_, I am here for your cousin." Elijah's eyes settled on Elena.

"First, I now go by the name of Ashley. Second, _she_" she gestured at Elena, "is not Katherine." Elijah's eyes got big for a second before he smiled hungrily.

"You don't mean she is the-" "She is, Elijah. Elena is the Petrova doppelganger." Ashley sighed.

Elijah clapped his hands and laughed.

"How awesome. Not long and we will have company!" he said.

"Elijah, your brother will come here and you are happy? I thought you parted from him long time ago?" Ashley asked.

"Wait a second there. What's going on?" Damon asked, making a 'stop' sign with his hand.

"Well, dear Mr Salvatore, Miss Ashley here and I , we go way back. I know her from the day she was born. Reborn as a vampire, you know." Elijah said with a smirk.

"Yeah. And they know that Klaus is your brother. They also know, that Klaus is after the doppelganger to fulfil his ritual." Ashley said with a frown.  
>"But that all still doesn't explain why you are here!" she added.<p>

"That's very simple. I wanted to get hold of _Katerina_ so that I can hand her to Klaus and he would therefore tell me where he put the bodies of my family who he so unmerciful killed, a thousand years ago."

His eyes were full of sorrow and memories. But only for a short moment before he caught himself and his hard, vampiric gaze came back.

"Then why did you come here?" Stefan asked, hovering protectively in front of Elena. He obviously didn't trust Elijah.

"Because I figured Katerina would be here. You have quite a history with her, or am I mistaken?" He looked from Damon to Stefan who both dropped their heads in shame.

"I thought so. Where is Katerina?" he now asked Ashley.

"Well, the last time I met her I nearly staked her so I guess she isn't too fond of returning here." She said with a shrug.

Elijah stared at her. "Well, you know, I am not too fond of luring my brother here either. And as I can see were on the same side here, we could make a deal. You help me find Katerina, and I help you protect Elena and Mystic Falls. How does that sound?" He offered.

Ashley wanted to say something, when Damon cut in.

"Wait a moment. What's in it for you?" he eyes him suspiciously. "As I said, I would be able to reunite with my family."

"So you are doing all this for a bunch of corpses?" Ashley hit Damon on the arm and he made a gesture like 'what?'

"You could say that but I prefer to verbalize myself less barbaric." Elijah stated with a cold gaze.  
>Ashley jumped in fast, "Well I think that means we're going to think about it!" Elijah nodded shortly before turning around and walking away.<p>

"Wait! How are we supposed to contact you?" She called after him. He turned around and called back. "I'll know it when you are ready to talk to me again" with that words, he vanished.

The four of them decided to stop by the Grill to talk about what had just happened. When they had settled down in a booth in the far corner of the bar, Elena shook her head.

"I can't believe that suddenly that many people are after me. What's happening? What is so special about me? I know I am the doppelganger and all but, why is my blood that important for this stupid ritual?"

"I would love to know that. But I guess at first, we have to settle with Elijah's plan for now." Ashley said.

"How can we be sure, that he is trustworthy?" Stefan asked seriously.

"We can't. But we don't have another option. The only thing I can say is that he saved my life when he didn't even know me. Which means, he is not evil from the soul as his brother is." Ashley leaned back and sipped her drink.

Her eyes fell on the door which opened and a good-looking girl, maybe 18 or 19, came in and looked around. She was wearing a silk blouse and a brown leather jacket, skinny jeans and heels. Her light, nearly sandy coloured brown hair floated down her back, straight, nearly down to her waist. Ashley caught herself staring at her and looked away fast.

"What did you look at?" Damon asked her. "Nothing" Ashley stated and took another sip of her drink while still looking at that girl from the corners of her eyes. She was now standing at the bar and scanning the room. Suddenly, she locked eyes with Ashley and Ashley couldn't look away. She had green eyes, but they looked ice cold, calculating, more mature than eighteen or nineteen years old. She listened closely and nearly chocked on her drink.

"What's up?" Damon asked her while patting her back. Stefan looked alarmed.

"That girl over there, standing at the bar, you see her?"

"Yeah, what's with her?" Damon asked. "Wow, she looks familiar" Stefan answered with a quick glance at her.

"She's a vampire. Listen to her heartbeat, it's far too steady" Ashley still eyed that girl and when she left the bar after some guy, Ashley stood.

"Hey, where are you going?" Damon asked.

"I am following her. If she is planning on feeding behind the bar, I am going to stop her, we don't want to be exposed!" Stefan nodded but Damon smouldered when Ashley left the bar.

"If you're not back in ten minutes, I'll come and get you!" he called after her, but she just waved over her shoulder.

Ashley stepped out in the cool night when a light breeze tousled her hair around. She listened to her surroundings and heard two faint voices behind the next corner on the street. She walked towards them, cursing herself silently for wearing noisy heels today. They were clicking on the asphalt and if one of the voices was a vampire he or she surely already noticed her coming. But it could be an advantage if she behaved human at first.

She came around the corner and stopped dead, as every human would do, but in that situation she had to.

Two young woman were standing in the black alley, with a man who couldn't seem to believe his luck. They were flirting with him and one of the girls posed lasciviously. When Ashley looked closer, she could see that one of the girls was that brown haired girl from the bar and the other one was –"Caroline?" Damn, she just said that out loud.

Caroline and the brown haired girl turned around and Caroline took a step back. She bared her fangs in fear but the brown haired girl just smirked. The man noticed Caroline's fangs and his face got white. He started to retreat to the street, which meant in Ashley's direction. When he wanted to pass her, she grabbed his collar and looked him deep into the eyes. Her voice got steady and Her pupils widened.

"You won't tell a soul, what you saw here tonight. You wanted to grab a drink at the Grill and then go home. Now go home." She let him go and the man stumbled away, obviously very confused. She then turned back to the two girls.

"Why did you mess with my dinner?" the brown-haired girl asked annoyed. Ashley ignored her and looked at Caroline who looked like she wanted to be somewhere else.

"Caroline, you of all people should know how important it is to stay hidden. Your own mother would kill you if she knew what you are." Ashley knew she had found a sore point but she liked messing with Caroline. She didn't like her as she was far too arrogant even though she was only a few months old. Caroline made a grimace which just told Ashley she had been right with the immature behaviour she had been expecting from her.

"Don't bother with Caroline. I just asked her to help me guide through the city. It's been a long time since I was here" the other girl added with a smirk.

Ashley desperately wished to know who that girl was as she seemed to know Ashley.

"Yeah, I know you Ashley. It's been a while and I surely changed a bit" she had to laugh when she emphasized the word 'change'. Suddenly, there was noise in the alley behind Ashley. She heard Damon and Stefan approaching, shortly followed by Elena, who just stayed a little out of the trouble. The girl smirked.

"Well, if those aren't the famous Salvatore brothers. Seems like you found together again?" Damon looked angry. "How do you know us?" he hissed.

"Oh come on, no one of you recognises me? That's not true." She seemed to be upset.

Stefan turned to Caroline, "Caroline, Why did you team with her? We were your friends." He asked with a sad look on his face.

"Ask your little vampire friend over there" she gestured at Ashley who smiled innocently. Stefan looked at her questioningly and Ashley sighed.

"It could be that I threatened her not to see you again" she said hesitantly. Stefan wanted to say something when the brown haired girl sighed.

"You guys, I like family reunions but I have some important errands to run and-" Damon cut in. "What do you mean by family reunion?" he said with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, understanding and recognition spread over Stefan's face. "No, that can't be" he gasped with a shocked gaze at the girl. She smiled reassuringly. "Yes, Stefan. It's true." Damon was getting furious. "What's true? Who is that girl?" he nearly screamed. Ashley was getting a strange feeling something wasn't quite right here…

"That's Stella" Stefan stated quietly.

Damon and Ashley dropped their mouths open.

"Stella?" Ashley asked, not believing a thing. Stella smiled and nodded. "No. Stella is dead, she died one hundred and forty-seven years ago!" Ashley closed her eyes and shook her head as if Stella vanishes if she would do that. Damon was standing there, not able to move or to say anything. His shock must be grave as he just recently found out that he had had a sister.

Stefan was the only one who seemed to be not shocked at all and he stepped over Stella and looked at her, smiling.

"Wow, I never imagined seeing you again." He had tears in his eyes and the two of them hugged. Ashley caught herself and slapped Damon on the arm. Then, she whispered something in his ear.

"Are you sure, that she is Stella? She could be anyone, sent from Klaus!" her voice was getting slightly panicked, but maybe because she didn't want to see the truth. Stella let go of Stefan and stepped over to where Ashley and Damon were standing.

"I am Stella. Do you remember, the day we met? I kicked you because you lectured me. I was then banished from the dining room for a whole week and had to eat with the staff." She looked Ashley deep into the eyes and Ashley burst into tears so that Stefan had to pat her back. Stella stepped to her and took her into her arms.

"You don't have to cry Ashley, I'm here now." Stella said reassuringly. Ashley sobbed and brought out some words. "I thought…you were dead…and…you were…my everything" Stella smiled and turned her head over to Damon.

"Do you remember the day you shipped out?" Damon sadly shook his head and Stella understood.

* * *

><p>"<em>It was a warm late summer afternoon and we were to say goodbye to you. Stefan was devastated and he was crying his eyes out. I was standing there, not sure what was about to happen but it had to be bad because Stefan was crying so much. You had that sad look on your face and when you turned around, Stefan nearly knocked you over when he hugged you and sobbed like crazy. You then bend down to look directly into my eyes. I was eight back then. You hugged me and whispered something in my ear. 'You take care of your brother until I come back'. I had heard stories from war where fathers and sons and brothers would never return so I started to cry. 'Will you ever come back?' I asked you silently. 'I will come back, <em>sorellina_, because I love you two so much.'"_

* * *

><p>Stella had to stop because she herself had tears in her eyes. Damon had a strange look on his face, his masque seemed to fall. He hugged Stella but he caught himself pretty fast.<p>

"Thank you for helping bringing my memory back. I remember everything that happened back then. Every single detail." His eyes darkened he obviously remembered what Katherine did.

Ashley hugged Stella once more and then whipped her tears away. Suddenly, Elena stepped in front from behind Stefan. She wanted to start saying hello, when Stella stumbled a few feet back.

"Holy crap!" She cursed. "I knew you would be here but to see you for the first time, scares the hell out of my guts!" she now laughed. Elena frowned, she was not to happy to be now surrounded by far too many vampires who all knew Katherine.

"Stella, you have to come with us and tell us what happened in 1864 when you vanished!" Ashley said and Stella's smile faded.

"That was a dark time back then, I'll gladly tell you but let us go somewhere less _obvious_ and I definitely need a drink!"

Stefan, Elena, Ashley and Damon looked at each and smiled. "Boarding house."

"No way? You're still living there?" Stella laughed and they walked towards their cars, leaving an utterly confused Caroline back, without so much as a glance.

* * *

><p><strong>So, Stella is back as well. She's kinky and she will turn heads in the city, but how will her brothers react? It's sure going to be some fun!<strong>

**Please review!**


	16. How he's messed with all of us

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 15**

Stella stepped into the hallway of the boarding house, shortly followed by Ashley, Damon, Stefan and Elena. Stella looked around, amazed. She then turned around to the boys.

"How did you do that? It looks exactly like back then. Well, except for the TV and all that stuff" she added with a smile.

"Well, we didn't do that. Zack did it" Stefan said with a sideway glance at Damon.

"Oh, come on. Are you still mad at me for that?" He said while throwing his hands up in the air in a helpless gesture.

"Yes, I am. Because he was family." Stefan shook his head. As Ashley and Stella didn't know what they were talking about, Elena had to cut in.

"Come on, you guys. I am sure Damon is sorry for what he did to Zack and Stefan, you know he has changed a lot since he returned here." She stroked Stefan's arm and he seemed to calm down. Damon just shrugged and went over to the bar to pour some drinks. Stella stepped over to him, grabbed the first glass out of his hands and took a deep swig.

Ashley then had a first real look at Stella. Now that she knew it was her, she could see the resemblance between the three Salvatore siblings. Stella had nearly the same hair colour as Stefan, a nice warm sandy brown but hers showed some natural black strands, just like Damon's hair colour. Her eyes were green, as were Stefan's, not warm like his but piercing and calculating, like Damon's ice blue eyes. She was like a female mix of the two of them.

Ashley couldn't help but look at her longer than necessary, as she had seen her last when she had been ten.

"So how come you are a vampire and you've grown up so much?" Damon asked, when he finally had his own drink. Stella giggled into her glass.

"Hey Damon, are you jealous that I look that mature? Believe me, I was turned when I was twenty, so I am younger than you." She gave him a mischievous smile and slumped down on the couch. The other sat down around her.

"I'll tell you but you have to promise me not to interrupt me until I am finished. It's bad enough to tell it so I have to do it in one turn, alright?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p><em>It w<em>_as the night Stefan was sleepwalking because of Emily's summoning charm or Katherine's compulsion. Either way Ashley obviously followed us when he carried me out to the trees. I was sleeping, yes, but I heard every single word that was spoken so obviously I was under a spell that didn't work so well. Poor Stefan laid on the ground, forgotten as Ashley came to rescue us. But Katherine was ways stronger. They fought, Ashley lost and Katherine took me and Emily deeper into the woods. I guess Emily felt things I didn't as she was becoming more frightened and my spell was fading. I felt my consciousness returning and I could see that we were heading to another clearing. I tried not to move so that they would not know that I was awake. When we finally stopped, they laid me down on the wet floor and started talking to each other._

'_Katherine, do you think, we are doing the right thing? After all she is just a child!' 'Emily, please. She is a human child and she was the only one to withstand my compulsion. Something must be going on! Now do your spells!' _

_Emily started talking in a language I couldn't understand but I began to see things I didn't want to. Emily was doing some werid things and now I was really afraid what was going to happen to me. I finally dared to open my eyes and I saw Katherine approaching me. She seemed to be in some kind of trance as she was not looking at me directly. Suddenly, the veins on her face became visible and dark and when she opened her mouth, I saw real fangs! She was going to bite me, or worse, kill me! I started screaming and I wanted to push her away, but she was stronger than me, a hundred times. She sank her teeth into my neck and I still tried to push her away, and screamed on top of my lungs. Not long and my strength was fading and I couldn't scream anymore. I felt my heartbeat going slower and slower and the breathing becoming more difficult. I felt like my death was to be near. Suddenly, Katherine was yanked off of me and thrown away. I used my remaining strength to open my eyes and I saw a beautiful young blond man standing over me and having a dark look on his face. He looked over to where Katherine was struggling to stand upright, with tousled hair and a blood-smeared face._

'_Katerina' he started to say in an accent I had never heard before, 'I did not thought you'd be so stupid as to lure me on your tracks.' He stepped over to her and grabbed her by the hair and yanked her in my direction._

'_We never had that chat I wanted to have after we met. You preferred to run away and steal the moonstone.' I didn't know what they were talking about and I felt myself passing out again. I feared that I would not wake up again as Katherine had taken a lot of blood from me. I heard someone whimper and before I knew it, my eyes were closing and I just realised it was me who had whimpered. I felt tears falling down my cheeks, but it was the only thing I felt. My limbs were getting cold and felt something like detached from my body. It took me every strength I had left to hear what Katherine and that stranger man were talking._

'_Katerina, you did a huge mistake running away from me. I don't like it when I'm fooled. And you ran away, stole the most important artefact I had in my possession and you turned into a vampire. What should I do to you, know? You know that the next doppelganger won't be born for the next hundred years, maybe longer.'_

'_How do you know there will be a doppelganger? I am a vampire, I cannot procreate anymore.' Katherine hissed, but not an angry hiss like she always talked to Ashley but a frightened one, and I understood that there was the one person standing, Katherine was afraid of._

'_I know you had a little girl before you were turned. Why do you think was she taken away from you?' he said with I imagined was a smirk. Katherine gasped as if in pain. I opened my eyes a last time and saw that he was holding her at the throat, two feet above the ground and Katherine was kicking and panting and trying to catch a breath but the man's face changed. He got this vampire-face just like Katherine had before and he was about to rip Katherine's throat open, after the look on his face, when my eyes fluttered shut and the world around me started to go dark. _

_I must have lost more blood than I thought. When I prepared myself to sink into the darkness and give in, I felt something pressing against my face._

_Well not just my face but my mouth, to be precise. My lips parted as if they weren't controlled by my brain anymore and I felt a warm fluid running down my throat. It tasted metallic but not bad and soon I found myself drinking it hastily and as if I hadn't had a taste of liquid in ages. _

_I continued to drink and suddenly, I felt myself going stronger and when I felt I had the strength, I brought a hand up to my neck where Katherine had bit me just to feel – nothing. The wound was gone as was the feeling of utter darkness. I was able to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was the handsome man pressing his wrist to my mouth._

_I was drinking his blood! When I recognised that, I sat up and shoved him away before spitting the remnants of his blood in my mouth out. He was standing up._

'_You had enough anyway. I don't want you turned. Not yet.' He smiled and I tried to back away but felt a tree trunk behind me._

'_Don't you try going away from me. You saw what I could do tonight.' When I shook my head, he smiled and bend down to look into my frightened face._

'_You don't need to be afraid. I just hope you are worth that I lost Katerina Petrova again that night.' He took me by the hand and I had the feeling that I had to go with him. Now I know it was his compulsion from the beginning. We then vanished through the woods and away from Mystic Falls._

* * *

><p>Stella stood up to pour herself another glass of bourbon. When she turned around to face the couch she saw four astonished faces staring at her. She rolled her eyes.<p>

"Yeah, very catching life. He kept me as his pet for ten years before changing me, and then I ran away. End of story." She said, slightly annoyed. Stefan was the first one to be able to speak again.

"So you mean, you spent ten years with that man, then he changed you, you remembered what he did to you and you ran away? And then the last hundred years you never tried to find us?"

Stella smiled into her glass before answering. "Yeah, it was like that. But in my defence, I didn't know that you two were turned. I thought you died just like any other mortal. And second, it wasn't just 'that man'.  
>It was Klaus."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So everyone's learning some things about the past. But believe me, more things are going to be revealed soon enough.<strong>

**Please review!**


	17. Never let your guard down

_Idon't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. __So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 16**

Stella stood next to the fireplace, looking at Damon, Stefan, Elena and Ashley who were all gaping at her. Only Ashley looked slightly nervous.

"You mean…Klaus took you and changed you?" Elena said, not understanding what was going on.

"Katherine practically gave you to Klaus? That bitch! When I see her I am going to kill her!" Damon hissed and he got a pretty dark look on his face, mixed with something weird. Stefan didn't seem able to say anything at all.

He looked over to Ashley who was slightly fidgeting.

"I think I will head home now guys." She said and stood up, avoiding the eyes of all the others.

Damon stood as well.

"Wait a sec, you seem like you would know something!" he eyed her suspiciously.

"I don't know anything. This is all as new to me as it is to you." She hissed angrily and before anyone could blink she was out the door.

"What was that about?" Stefan said, finally able to say anything. Stella shrugged and drowned her bourbon.

"My room's still upstairs?" and without waiting for an answer she started ascending the stairs.

Damon gazed after Ashley and suddenly he picked up his jacket and went to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Elena called after him.

"I'm finding Ash and finding out what she won't tell us." With that he shut the door with a loud bang. Elena and Stefan looked at each other and just shook their heads.

Ashley opened the door to her new home and stepped into the hallway. She looked around before closing the door behind her and turning on the lights. _The handy men have done quite a well job_, she thought to herself and put her keys and her purse down on the little table that was standing next to the front door. She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

There was normal food, well stocked but she dug deeper and opened a small door which was invisible for anyone who wouldn't know it was there. She opened it and a big stock full of blood bags came in sight. She took one out, and poured it into a glass. Then she sat down on her new couch and sighed. While she was sipping the blood she thought back some decades when she had met Klaus by incident.

* * *

><p><em>She was walking down the streets of Paris 1954 and looking for a handsome young man who could be her company for tonight. She was wearing a skirt which went down to her knees and was covered with polka dots, a milky white silk blouse with a cream jacket and white gloves. Her hair was up in a fashionable bun and she was wearing a white hat which sat slightly on the left of her head. When she was walking down Champs-Elysées, she spotted a familiar face in the middle of all the couples, families and people walking up and down the street. <em>

'_Damn it' she cursed and tried ducking into the mass of people and turning around to head into the other direction. She nearly crossed the bridge, when she felt a strong hand holding her upper arm and making it impossible for her to go on. She slowly turned around when a familiar voice said, obviously smiling, 'Lady Ashley, what a nice surprise to see you here.' Ashley glared up at him._

'_The pleasure is on my side, Lord Niklaus.' She said through gritted teeth._

'_I go by the name Klaus now. How have you been, how long did we not meet? It must have been centuries.' His smile never faded but neither did he let go of her arm._

'_Yeah, it's been 4 and a half centuries.' Ashley was desperately trying to find a way to escape him but his iron grip would not get any softer and his eyes never left hers._

'_And how did you spend your time? Travelling the world?' He laughed hard at the joke only he seemed to get. Ashley inwardly rolled her eyes while still trying to get her arm free._

'_I was good, thanks. And you? Killed or changed anymore innocent people?'She knew it was dangerous territory challenging Klaus but he wouldn't kill her in that mass of people, would he?_

'_Changed not so much, but you know how that killing goes. Some humans are that tasty, I can barely stop.' He had whispered the last words and was leaning now closer to Ashley. She got a sick feeling in her stomach she got every time Klaus came nearer to her. She wanted to turn away, to run as fast as she could but she wouldn't show Klaus that she was afraid of him._

'_Well I did make the acquaintance of a nice young woman I believe you knew. Sweet little girl, at first, that is. She had quite the power of life in her. It nearly has been a waste.' He was laughing again, harder that time and Ashley saw her chance. She turned around in a swift motion and started running east and not turning around once. When she was outside Paris she heard some footsteps following her but she didn't stop and even increased her speed. When she was nearly reaching Lyon she had lost the footsteps and in Maine she felt save enough to slow down. _

_She walked into the city, panting heavily and her vision was starting to blur. She hadn't fed properly the last days so she hadn't been on top of her powers. She could be happy to escape Klaus. She grabbed the next man she found and dragged him into an empty alley, not bothering to compel him, which she couldn't have done and barely covered his mouth to keep him from screaming when she sank her teeth into his neck. She felt her strength returning but she had to be sure that she was on top of her power before she stopped as she was sure she had bring some space between her and Paris. When she felt the man going limp in her hands, she sucked the remaining blood out of his systems and let him fall down onto the pavement. She wiped her mouth and got rid of her bloody gloves. Her hat had flown away somewhere between Paris and Lyon. Her hair was loose and her skirt was torn from running across country. _

_She looked for a nice mansion and went to knock. She compelled the servant who was opening the door for her and then she went upstairs into the bedroom of the house's lady. She drank a little more from the lady, just enough to regain her full strength and sent her to bed while she looked for comfortable travelling clothes. She then decided to wash herself up and when she left the house, no one would remember she was there. When she sat in the night train to Madrid, where the ship would be waiting for her, she thought of Klaus' words. _'A nice young woman I believe you knew. Sweet little girl, she had quite the power of life in her._' Ashley couldn't find out who he meant._

* * *

><p>Ashley opened her eyes. Now it was crystal clear who he had been talking about. Stella. But she couldn't blame herself, after nearly a century, she wouldn't think of her dearest friend at first. Ashley sighed and put her empty glass into the sink. Then she went upstairs into her bedroom. She opened the window to get fresh air and then went into the bathroom to change into her pj's.<p>

When she returned and put her jewellery into a box, she had to smile.

"Hello, Damon." She turned around to face the bed, where Damon was lying, smiling at her and checking her shorts and tank top.

"Nice. But you shouldn't keep your windows open. You never know what's creeping around outside." He jumped up and took her into his arms.

Ashley smiled into his shoulder. "When you're the worst thing that would come in, I would open my window more often"

Damon chuckled softly.

He took her by the hand and started walking towards the bed. When they were lying next to each other, he was kissing her neck and mumbling to her. "Nice house you got. Somewhere no one would disturb us."

She could feel him smile into the little curve of her marble neck. She was kissing his cheek and when he continued to caress her ear with his tongue, she could feel herself wanting something she had never experienced before. She started kissing his neck and then she sent her tongue over his jawline. She felt her canines expand and before she could stop herself she softly bit into his neck. She heard him moan in pleasure and she knew he was enjoying this too. She drank his blood, not hungrily as the human blood but different, it was not to still her hunger but her mind expanded and she could feel herself becoming one with Damon's mind, she could practically feel himself in her head. Suddenly, he turned them around so that she had to let go of him. Now he turned his fangs to her neck and it was his turn taking something from her. When they were at the point of merging their minds together, she felt something she couldn't really detect. It was a feeling that he was shielding some of his thoughts so she couldn't grasp them but she stopped thinking about it when they merged physically as well and she had to moan as he drank more feverishly. When they finished, they were lying under the thin blanket, panting heavily and Ashley smiled. She had her head on his chest and could feel it go up and down. He stroked her golden hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Damon, this was an experience I never had before." She had to smile with that thought and she could feel Damon smile too.

As Ashley felt herself drifting off to sleep, she heard Damon talking to her, but she didn't really take in what he was saying.

"Sweetheart, how did you already know Klaus had taken Stella?" he asked quietly when he was sure she was half-asleep.

"Katherine" Ashley mumbled.

"So Katherine told you. Why didn't you tell us?" Damon asked while he continued to stroke her hair.

"Unfinished business…Klaus" was everything Damon could hear. He smiled and closed his eyes.

He had gotten what he wanted.

* * *

><p><strong>So Damon had used her to get answers. What's going to happen if she finds out? Stay tuned!<strong>

**Please review!**


	18. Playing games

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 17**

Ashley was slowly waking up as the sun was tickling her nose. She rolled around in her bed and remembered last night with a smile. When she reached over, she could only feel an empty bedside. She stood up, only wearing her lacy red and black silk bed robe and started to descend the stairs only to hear and buzzing sound from the kitchen. She also heard the TV pronouncing the news and when she stepped into the kitchen, she saw Damon making breakfast, with only his boxers on. She stepped over to him, smiling, taking him in an embrace from behind and kissing his bare shoulders.

He let go of the frying pan where he was making eggs and took Ashley into his arms. What she couldn't see was his phone vibrating with a message from Stefan.

_Come home, we have news. Stefan_

Damon smiled into Ashley shoulder and when she went upstairs to get dressed, he quickly replied him.

_You have to wait a little longer, brother. I have better news, promise. D_

Damon walked into the boarding house, as casually as ever when Stefan and Elena practically jumped onto him.

"How can you text something like _that_, and then not show up for two hours?" he practically yelled at his older brother, who felt himself falling back into old habits, getting angry. But he didn't want to explode in front of Elena, so he draw a deep breath and walked over to his booze. There he poured himself a glass and after drowning that, he felt himself able to speak.

"Stefan, just shut up. I had my reasons, I had to keep my masquerade up."

"What masquerade? Where have you been the whole night, anyway?" Elena asked with a rolling of her eyes when Damon went to change into a fresh camisole in the middle of the library. Stefan let out a deep sigh and started pacing while Elena sat down on the couch. Damon poured himself another glass and stood next to empty fireplace.

"So, what are your news?" He asked the two of them.

Stefan went to stand behind Elena and put his hands on her shoulders. "Isobel called." He said, Elena wasn't able to speak for herself, Damon thought with a mock.

"Well, my news are really better. Ashley knew that Stella was taken and turned by Klaus. She was told by Katherine." He emphasized the last word to let the shock sink in.

"But why should she tell you now?" Stefan asked with a frown.

"She didn't. I made her" Damon smiled into his glass before drowning it and putting the glass down.

"So you made me." A voice cold as ice coming from the door said. Three heads jerked around to see Ashley standing in the doorframe, arms crossed, with a very deadly look towards Damon on her face.

"Ashley. It's not what it seems to be, I-" Damon started, but he was cut short by a 'stop' gesture of Ashley. She closed her eyes briefly as to sooth herself before stepping down into the library, still locking her eyes with Damon.

"You know what, Salvatore? You're the worst person I have ever met. And I am related to Katherine Pierce. In my five hundred years I have never met anyone as cruel and calculating as you. I can't believe I let my guard down in the first place." She shook her head. Damon seemed to be out of his mind or willing to die or anything as he spoke the next words.

"Hey, it's not that I used you. I really started to like you-" he was cut short again, when he was slammed against the wall with Ashley's hand around his neck. Her face got all vampire and all her hatred was directed at Damon.

"You obviously don't know what's good for you, Damon Salvatore. If I wouldn't be such a nice person, I would crash you skull right here and now just to show you of what I am capable of." She started into his piercing blue eyes that seemed to loose a little of their shimmer as his air supply was cut short. She let him fall to the floor before Stefan could reach her and bend down to a coughing and panting Damon.

"Right now you should look at yourself. You look pathetic. And don't you think I ever want to see you again." With that, she walked outside, but not without turning around a last time and throwing a small wooden stake with such perfection towards Damon, that it crashed the wall right next to his face, causing him to go even paler.

"Take that as a warning, Salvatore. It will be your one and only." With that words, she left the boarding house and drove away, without so much as a backward glance.

"Stupid…there isn't even a word for him." Ashley was driving angrily through the city before stopping in front of the Grill and making a plan. Go in, get drunk, forget what happened today. As it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, the Grill was buzzing with people and no one noticed her walking in. She sat down at the bar, ordering a scotch on ice and started drinking, scanning the room. When she looked over the mass of people, she saw several heads turning as the door opened and a sandy-brown-hair-coloured young lady walked in, wearing really tight skinny jeans, black killer heels, a glittering top which revealed a lot of her perfect cleavage and a tight brown three-fourths-sleeves leather jacket. Her hair was beautifully curled and was bouncing with every step she took. As she was walking towards the bar, Ashley could see even more amazed gazes from guys follow her back and jealous glances from girls follow her at all. When she saw Ashley, a beautiful smile erupted from her face and she showed some shiny white teeth.

Stella stopped next to Ashley, ordering a shot of vodka.

"Drinking like that in the afternoon?" Stella laughed while drowning her shot. Ashley just mumbled something.

"What's up, Ash? You have to be happy, I'm back again.."Stella trailed off.

Ashley would have smiled, but she was clearly not in the mood for that.

"Your stupid brother." Feeling no need of explaining herself any further, Ashley stopped and Stella shrugged.

"Fine, whatever. I've always been closer to Stefan, anyway." Ashley had to chuckle involuntarily and turned to face her but not before drowning her glass and slamming it on the counter, ordering another one.

"You're lying, Stella. Stefan always cared for you but you were closer to-your other brother." She was not even able to speak his name aloud and as she felt the tears stinging in her eyes, she drowned her scotch in one whisk and ordered another one.

Stella eyed her. "So what are we doing today? Getting drunk and don't have a care in the world?" she smirked and raised her re-filled glass just to drown it.

Ashley took a sip of hers and looked into the room again. "That's the plan."

"Well then, we better get going!" Stella laughed and ordered a bunch of tequila shots. After they had drowned them, Ashley was slurring her words slightly and Stella couldn't stop but giggling at every second word.

"Hey, Ash. See that cute guy who just walked in? I'm in the mood for some games." Stella giggled and straightened her already perfect hair.

"Stella, this is Alaric Saltzman, Elena's and Stefan's history teacher."

"No problem for me there." She smiled when Alaric was walking up to them. She flashed him one of her smiles where no one really could be sure if there was a hint of compulsion going with it.

"Hey. I'm Alaric Saltzman. You must be new here." He said smiling and offering his hand, looking her up and down.

"I'm Stella. Stella Salvatore." She said, still smiling, and her word-slurring now a sexy mischievous tone.

Alaric raised an eyebrow and crooked his head. "Salvatore as in Stefan and Damon?" Stella smiled again and chuckled lowly. "I am the long lost sister." Then she laughed and raised her shot glass to clink with Alaric's.

"Damon and Stefan never told me they had a sister." Alaric still eyed her, not sure to believe her. Ashley leaned over to whisper in her ear. "He knows all about the vampires" before excusing herself and walking to the toilet.

Stella turned around and faced Alaric again but dropped her voice to a whisper. "They thought I was dead, but I was captured when I was ten and then kept as a human pet and turned when I was twenty."

Stella raised her glass again and Alaric laughed, cheering her and drowning the contents of his glass, obviously bourbon. When Ashley came back from the toilet, the three of them drowned some more shots and when a nice song was playing, they started dancing.  
>Alaric was equally as drunk as the two girls and was having the time of his life. Pity, that there was a break with Jenna again, she would have enjoyed this. When Stella was all about standing up and dancing on the bar, Stefan walked in, shortly followed by Elena.<p>

Stefan's eyes grew big as he saw Ashley and Stella getting drunk like that and he stepped in to grab Stella by her arm to stop her from going up on the counter. "Ooh Stefan, party police has arrived" Stella was now even missing words and Ashley wasn't able to bring a full sentence out at all. Alaric made himself disappear in thin air and walked home, but not before Stella called after him. "It was a very nice evening, Mr Saltzman I would like to repeat" with a grin that nearly let Alaric walk against the front door. Stefan shook his head.

"What are you thinking?" he said, looking from Stella to Ashley. Ashley just shook her head, she looked like she was going to pass out any second. Stella was slightly swaying on her feet and shortly decided to take off her shoes. Stefan grabbed Stella by the hand, took her purse and started to walk outside with her. "Elena's car outside. Let's go." He said and Elena took Ashley's purse and put her arm around her shoulders to help her outside. Stefan got into the driver's seat while Stella was on the passenger's side, singing out the open window and Elena in the backseat with Ashley fast asleep.

When they arrived at the boarding house, Stefan grabbed Ashley and carried her up into Damon's bedroom as he wouldn't be here tonight, anyway. Elena walked in with Stella's and Ashley's purse and Stella's shoes. She walked her up to her room and Stella fell asleep as soon as she hit the covers. Stefan and Elena met in his room, sighing.

"Wow, I feel like babysitting." Elena said while getting dressed for bed.

"Yeah." Stefan sighed, "I don't know why they even do this. They are far too old for this." They got under the sheets and snuggled against each other.

"All I know is that they are going to have a major hangover tomorrow" Elena smiled and drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong>Hey you all, thanks for the nice reviews. Here's my new chapter and I am excited as you are. Also, I planned on putting up a story of Stella, her story and all that. I was thinking of it going a bit like "Stefan's Diaries" if anyone knows that. Please, tell me, what you think of that idea. Oh, and please tell me what you think of that new chapter.<br>xoxo - Lalapaya**

**Please review!**


	19. Making plans

_Sorry for the delay, guys. Work was buzzing but now it's summer time and i will have more time. Also i am working on the first chapter of Stella's story! Coming soon!_

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 18**

Ashley woke up the next morning, not sure where she was. It wasn't her house, that was for sure. She looked around and when she tried to stand up, her head gave her a bang and she thought it would explode. She closed her eyes and laid back again, breathing evenly. Suddenly, memories came rushing back to her, her getting drunk with Stella at the Grill, Stella hitting on that teacher-vampire hunter and her wanting to forget what happened with-

"Ugh." With a groan, Ashley set up again and saw that she was in _his_ room. The person she despised the most right now. He could even compete with Klaus at the moment. She sat up, feeling too light-headed and started for the door, using the guest bathroom down the hallway.

When she finished cleaning herself up and wearing something fresh Elena had laid out for her, she felt herself ready to walk downstairs and meet with Stefan and Elena in the kitchen. Only that it wasn't Stefan and Elena, it was _him_ and Elena. Ashley rolled her eyes and only grabbed a cup of coffee.

Elena smiled at her. "How are you?" "I am fine, thanks, Elena." Ashley answered, ignoring him obviously. She heard him snorting but she was determined to keep him and his beautiful ice blue eyes out of her-wait! 'That can't be' Ashley thought to herself 'he uses me like a toy and I fell for him again the instant I see him the next time? Can't happen!'

"Sorry Elena, I really have to go." She said while putting the cup into the sink before walking gracefully outside, not looking back. On her way outside she passes Stefan who flashed her a confused smile but she had to leave this house, fast.

When she was walking up the steps to the porch of her house, she felt relieved, and as if she could breathe normally again. She opened the door and dropped her purse on the shelf in the entryway before heading straight for the fridge and pulling a blood bag out of it. She couldn't bother to fill it in a glass and drained it in an instant. Her headache was fading slowly and she slopped down on the couch, letting her eyes fall shut again.

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><p>"<em>Stop it! You know I am ticklish!" She couldn't help but laugh until her stomach was hurting and he finally let her go. She rolled around on the grass so she could face him and caught him staring into her eyes. She was equally looking back into his piercing blue eyes in which she could get lost anytime and she could see him staring into her lapis lazuli eyes, too.<em>

"_I love you" the words left his lips like a whisper but she could hear them perfectly. She was about to say something when he brought his hand up to cup her cheek and kissed her on the lips softly. She was so overwhelmed, she couldn't do anything than respond to that kiss. As the kiss deepened, she pulled away and sat up, he blushed deeply._

"_I am so sorry, Miss. I know that was wrong but I couldn't withstand the urge as you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met in my life." She had to smile and stroke his cheek and whispered. "It's okay, Damon. I love you, too. We just have to be careful, after all you haven't proposed to me yet and I don't know if your father would approve of our…bonding."_

_Ashley looked at him, smiling. "Ah, screw my father." He heard his mistake as soon as he said it. "I am so sorry, Miss Ashley. It's really inappropriate to curse in front of a lady." He dropped his head sadly and ashamed. She took his chin into one hand so that he was forced to look at her. _

"_Damon, don't be sorry. I love you the way you are and that won't change." He smiled at her face. "So do I, Miss Ashley, so do I."_

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><p>Ashley woke up, tears welling in her eyes and she had to wipe them away. Thinking about the past with Damon wouldn't help a bit. She had to let him go, as he clearly changed too much over the years. But how? She just started a new life in Mystic Falls, she wouldn't want to give it up so soon.<p>

"There has to be another way." She told herself determined. The first one was getting back into Mystic Falls' social life, making herself present. She decided to do something practical, compelling the teachers at school to let her take the final exams early. When that was done, which she mastered with A's, she went to talk to her Aunt.

"Ashley. What 'you doing here?" "Hello to you, too, Tyler, thanks for the nice and warm welcoming." She stepped past him over the threshold, calling for Carol. She came rushing out of the kitchen with an apron full of flour.

"Ashley! Good to see you, how are you?" Ashley let herself being hugged tightly from Carol then smiled at her.

"There are some news, Aunt Carol." "Come on, I am baking cookies, you can tell me over in the kitchen!"

Ashley laughed while she walked into the kitchen after Carol which was so tidy as if no one would think of baking there in any way.

"So what's new, Ashley dear?" Carol asked and got back to stir something in a pot. "Well I made my high school exams early. It was difficult for me being in a class with people who are all four years younger than me." As Carol started to frown, Ashley quickly took out a sheet of paper. "But look, I got an A for all of them!" Carol smiled and examined Ashley's notes. "I am proud of you, Ashley. But say, why are you here, really?"

Ashley took a deep breath. Here it goes.

"I wanted to let you know, I am sorry that I left the house so quickly. I just needed some space for myself, I hope you understand that. The other thing is I would like to help you more with setting up the events for Mystic Falls founding year. I want to take some of the burden off your shoulders. And I want to involve myself a little in Mystic Falls' high society" She added with a wink. Carol was beaming at her.

"Well, I would never thought about something like that coming up. But it's…great! You're the first person I would suggest for that, really. And you can't imagine how happy I am that you said it yourself!" Carol couldn't stop smiling and when Ashley came over to hug her, Ashley could swear she saw some tears in Carol's eyes.

When Ashley walked back into her house, she was smiling. She was on a good way to accomplish her goals. Damon won't be able to win the town over, not if she could prevent it.

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><p><strong>Hey guys, sorry that the chapter is so short. i hope you can forgive me as i had very much work going on. Oh, and tell me what you think, i love to hear your opinions!<strong>

**Please review!**


	20. Dealing

_Sorry about letting you wait so long. I was creeping busy with work. I honestly don't know how all this will work out…but stay put and I try to update sooner!_

_I don't own the Vampire Diaries or their characters. I only invented a few new characters. So tell me what you think by reviewing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 19**

Ashley was waking up with a smile on her face. She went downstairs in her shorts and tanktop and started making some breakfast. She just felt like human food today. When she was frying the pancakes in a pan, her doorbell rang. She tuned down the radio and went to answer it, her hair in a loose ponytail, still showing her curls from the day before. When she opened the door, her smile vanished.

"What do you want?"

He smirked and his piercing eyes travelled her body up and down.

"Just so you know, I like your look" he said with a grin, showing his teeth.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Is there anything for you to tell me that would be important for me? I have something on the stove." She was holding the door and leaning against it, practically showing off what he missed out here. She could see his eyes widening and she had to work hard to suppress a grin.

"I just heard you joined the committee for the event organisation for the Founder's celebration. How comes?" he asked, finally concentrating on her eyes.

"I don't think that it has anything to do with you. And even if, I would not tell you." She smiled a fake smile and thought, _If you would know what else I'm up to_.

He was getting slightly annoyed, she could see that. He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair, in a bad attempt to attract her to him. She rolled her eyes once again.

"Anything else?" she said, impatiently. He was now getting angry, too. She had a hard time not start to giggle.

"No. That's it." He said, pretty pissed off and walked down the driveway to his car.

"Bye Damon" she called sweetly after him before shutting her door with a bang.

She went back to the kitchen just to see her pancakes were burned. She threw the contents away and opened the kitchen windows wide to get the smoke out. She settled on her terrace, choosing a glass of blood instead. She was furious with herself for letting Damon get under her skin so easily. She closed her eyes. No wonder, they were dating a century ago and her mind couldn't have seemed to wander away _anytime_ since then. She was getting up, sighing and went to change.

She pulled up in the driveway of the Lockwood's mansion, getting out of her car. She saw several other cars parked already. She walked to the front door and knocked. Tyler opened and was slightly startled at her appearance. She smiled and went past him, following the voices towards the study of Richard. She heard Carol speak as her heels clicked over the tiles. "We're just waiting for our newest member to arrive. Then we can discuss all the important things."

Ashley smiled broadly and opened the door to the study, adjusting her grey pencil skirt and her cream silk blouse. Her hair was falling in loose curls down her shoulders and a black purse, matching to her black killer heels dangled from her right shoulder.

When she entered the room, all the gazes went to her and she still smiled, holding her head upright.

"May I introduce you my niece, Ashley, she is not a direct descendant from the Lockwood's but she is Richard's brother's daughter." Ashley nodded politely and looked around the room. Sheriff Forbes was standing there, together with several others, John Gilbert was looking at her with tiny eyes and the last one, who was still staring like crazy, was Damon Salvatore. She flashed him an awesome smile before settling down on one of the leather seats, crossing her legs seductively.

"So let's start the meeting of the Founder's secret Council" Carol said while taking down all their names for record.

Over an hour they discussed the vampire problem. Ashley didn't really said much, only gave suggestions here and there. Damon was silent through the hole meeting, just staring at Ashley. When Carol released them, Ashley walked out to her car, she heard Damon follow her. When they were outside, Damon stopped her.

"What is going on?" he hissed, holding her arm.

"Nothing." She looked down on his hand clutching her arm, disgusted. "I'm taking my place." She shrugged off his hand and walked over to unlock her door.

Damon followed her. "What are you doing on the Founder's council?" he asked, more urgent this time, covering the door lock with his hand. Ashley was getting impatient now, she had some things to do.

"Damon, why do you even care? You take people's trust, twist it and smash it back into their faces. You don't care about anyone except for yourself." She tried to shove him away but he staid put, fixing his gaze upon her eyes.

"You know, I thought you were different. But you're just the same, manipulating, calculating bitch as Katherine is." He whispered, smirking. Ashley closed her eyes briefly as if to steady herself. She took the key of her car and thrust it through Damon's hand, not caring that her car would get a scratch or a stain. He yelped in pain and jumped back, holding his hand.

"You remember, Damon Salvatore, I am over four hundred years older than you. Don't you dare mess with me again." With that, she put on her sunglasses and got into her car, driving off.

She reached the Grill while texting Stella. '_Come 2 Grill, gotta talk'_

When she entered, she caused some guys staring but it was nothing in comparison to when Stella walked in. She was wearing a short summer dress, that was constantly in motion around her thighs, revealing more sometimes, then less. It was strapless, leaving her shoulders bare. She wore her hair in big curls today which were bouncing on her back. She reached Ashley and frowned at her.

"What's up?" Ashley shook her head and said, "Damon." Stella nodded understandingly and ordered a couple of drinks at the bar. "Hey Ash, don't even you listen to that jerk. If he's such an ass to you, he doesn't deserve you!" Ashley smiled at the younger girl's intention to make her feel better. She clinked her glass with her, drowning it's contents, hoping to forget everything about those ocean blue, gorgeous eyes.

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><p><strong>sorry. i know the ending is crappy, i'll make it up the next time!<strong>

**please review!**


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